Through the Ages
by gokart48
Summary: The shepherds fought through a world that their children would thankfully never have to see. Friendships were made, many couples were formed, and a curious five-year-old Lucina got to hear all her parents heroic deeds with great delight. Little did she know that her own story was about to begin with a mysterious new guest.
1. It Is Strange

"Hmm." A young and curious princess let out a brief huff as she sat perplexed on the carpeted floor without an answer to her dilemma. With an intense and fixed stare, the five-year-old birthday girl worked her mind to come up with a solution to her plight while declaring that she would not rest until she accomplished her mission. Nothing would stop her from her destiny regardless if the seas boiled over, the sky fell in a great and terrifying ball of flames, or perhaps even more frighteningly, she risked falling under the thrall of nap time.

In desperate times like these her father suggested that the best way to address an unsolvable task was to take a step back and look at the problem from all sides. The princess didn't entirely understand what her father meant by that advice, but she leaned to her left, and then to her right to see if she could approach the problem from another angle. To be safe, she then pressed her face on the carpet and tried to look up at her creation with her left cheek half smooshed on the floor.

Meanwhile, the cerulean girl was too focused on her mission to notice that the door to her room slowly opened to reveal a towering giant. Fortunately for Lucina, it was a friendly giant that she knew well. "Good afternoon Lucina." Sumia smiled while entering as she saw her precious daughter playing with the set of blocks see had received for her birthday. "I see you are enjoying your present."

"Yes, Mama." She confirmed casually as she continued her work. "I like it almost as much as my other gift."

Lucina was referring to the toy sword fashioned to her hip. While it was supposed to be a surprise, she accidently stumbled upon it while exploring the castle unattended a week before. When she found it, the young princess could be seen dashing through the castle halls while swiping her newly acquired toy sword at anything or everything that moved, including Sir Frederick's feet.

Sumia bent her knees and lowered herself to her daughter's level. She then gently said in a sweet voice, "I'm glad you like both of your gifts."

"I do. I'm very lucky to have the bestest parents ever!" She cried passionately.

"We are the lucky ones to have you." Sumia insisted back. "And if you don't mind, might I ask what you are up to?"

"Building." The bluenette replied back while showing her mother one of the blocks she had in her hand.

"I can see that." The queen mused with a widening grin as she looked over a half-built structure with a collection of blocks scattered across the floor. "What are you building?"

"A fortress!" The young child cried energetically.

"Is that so?" Sumia asked while saying happily. "Well, I'm sure it will be a fine castle that overlooks a great and thriving town."

"Nuh uh." Lucina countered while looking up to her mother. "A castle is a place to sleep and meet funny people. A fortress is for fighting!"

"Fighting?" She asked carefully. "Why would you want to do that?"

"To protect people like you and Daddy did!" She exclaimed with a high pitched and energetic glee in her voice. Being so young, she added an extra emphasis on words with more than one syllable and _people_ sounded more like _pee-opal._ She also had a tendency to say _axe_ or _ask_ in a way that would get her parents to do a double take. Luckily, being a mother meant Sumia had an internal translation system for _most_ of her daughter's words.

Still, despite her efforts to stir her younger daughter from warfare, Sumia could only give a resigned smile when she saw the look of excitement on Lucina's face. There was no doubt that you could not take the sword out of the future swordswoman. Even in this peaceful world Lucina was deeply fascinated about heroes and their quests to slay evil dragons. It was only to Lucina's delight to learn that her parents had an extra tale to tell about what happened less than two years ago with the defeat of Grima. "Just remember that you father and I had a lot of friends who helped us protect this place."

"Right." Lucina nodded back firmly. "And somesday I'll help you too!"

"I know you will." Sumia replied confidently as she raised her index finger in the air. "And I think I just met someone who will also help us with that goal."

"Oh?" Lucina asked suddenly curious as to what her mother meant.

The queen smiled with what appeared to be a warm and motherly grin. It was only Chrom who could tell in those situations that there was something in that expression that hid a very subtle and unnerving gesture to it. "I want to introduce you to someone. He comes from very far away. Even past the outer limits of our realm."

"You mean like Henry?" Lucina asked while tilting her head. She remembered Aunt Lissa telling her once that Henry was not from this world.

"Even farther than that." Sumia corrected.

The young princess marveled and said, "That must be a very long journey."

"It was, and I must admit it is strange how he got here." She acknowledged not understanding it much herself. "But he is waiting just outside. Would you care to meet him?"

"Uh huh." Lucina nodded with a growing wonder circling inside her head.

"Great." The queen replied as she pushed herself back to her normal height and said, "I will bring him here right away. I'm sure he will be delighted to meet you."

…

It was only five minutes before her mother returned with her mysterious guest, but to a five-year-old that might as well have been an eternity. Lucina's imagination soared as she explored the possibilities with a wonder and thrill that only a child could.

"Come on now, don't be shy." Sumia said encouragingly as a small head poked out from the doorway. The boy's head didn't reach up to the queen's knee, and his diminutive body was mostly covered up in a small purple cloak. It was almost comical how oversized his cloak was as the ends dragged on the floor, but it was a way for the boy to protect himself in this oversized world of giants.

"Hi." The white-haired boy said timidly as he slowly stepped inside the room with one foot still behind the doorway.

"Hi!" Lucina replied enthusiastically as she watched him with great interest.

Taking a moment to view his surroundings, he was surprised to meet someone around his age. Ever since he got here he was surrounded by giants that asked him a bunch of questions that he didn't know the answers to. "My name is Robin."

"Mine's Lucina." She nodded back. "My Daddy says I'm a princess, but I'm also a swords fighter in-training."

"Cool! I like swords." Robin mentioned while stepping fully into the room now. "One day I hope to be a sword tasstician."

"Oh? What's that?" Lucina replied curious.

"It's where I can whack bad guys and tell other people to whack bad guys too!" He cried as he pretended to slash a sword in front of him.

With a faint giggle, Sumia turned to the two children and said, "It seems like you two have some things in common."

"Yeah!" Lucina agreed happily. "That means we will be great friends!"

"Wait." Robin paused as his eyes widened in shock. "We can be friends?"

"Of course!" The princess said thinking that was a silly question to ask.

" _Whoa_." The boy gasped as his little shoulders reeled back and his face contorted in a look of disbelief. Instantly, his dismay turned into joy as he cried, "Awesome! My first friend!"

Bewildered, Lucina looked back at him funny and in confusion, "You never had a friend before?"

"Not one that talked back!" He replied still in shock.

The queen suddenly felt sad for the boy and added, "Robin, would you mind being my friend too?"

"Wow!" Robin's stunned expression could only be matched by the growing excitement in his eyes, " _Two_ friends?! This must be the best day of my life!"

Little did Robin know his cheerfulness was contagious as Lucina also took delight in the moment. "Mine too!"

"Hmm?" Sumia looked over to her daughter and said, "Why is that sweetie?"

"Cause my wish came true!" Lucina exclaimed. "I asked Naga for a new playmate for my birthday. Which means now we can play all day long!"

"I love to play!" Robin added as he excitedly raised his fist in the air.

"I do too!" The princess cried back.

Giggling to herself, Sumia decided it would be best to let the two have some space so they could play amongst themselves. While the queen had a thousand questions of her own regarding the boy, she knew it would do no good to ask them now. It was clear Robin didn't know much about how he got here either.

Not long after that the two kids began construction of a fortress as Lucina explained her plan to her new friend. One of the problems she was having was trying to make a working gate and a drawbridge. Despite her best efforts, she could not think of a way to move six blocks without them falling apart in her hands.

"Do you have any string?" Robin asked while looking at the front of the fortress.

"Huh? What for?"

With his hand on his chin, he said, "Maybe we can tie the blocks together and then pull them up that way."

"Oh! I never thought of doing something like that." Lucina said surprised. "But do you think Marf would be okay if we just used plain old string?"

"Who is Marf?" Robin replied unsure.

"Enh?!" She cried in horror. "You've never heard about the Hero King Marf?"

"No." He said wondering if he made some mistake by not knowing. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his new friend.

"Marf is like the fifth greatest hero of all times!" Lucina exclaimed as she rose her fist in the air, "He saves people from bad guys, and stops dragons from being mean. He also helps those in need. 'Specially kids like us."

Interested, Robin said "Marf sounds like a cool guy."

"He is!" Lucina cried passionately and added, "And that is why I want to build a grand fortress for him. One that meets even his standards!"

"In that case." He paused as he rethought his previous idea. "We will have to use something better than string."

"… But what would be better to use than string?" She asked with a headache starting to form after all her previous attempts at brainstorming.

"Maybe a gold ribbon?" Robin said thinking out loud.

"Huh? That's perfect!" Lucina agreed as she jumped up from her seat on the floor in triumph. "But where will we get that?"

Robin glanced around the room a couple times before shrugging and saying, "I don't know. I guess we have to look for one."

"Oh." Lucina frowned as she looked down at the floor. "Daddy got mad at me the last time I left my room trying to look for something."

"How come?"

She shook her head with regret and said, "I don't know. It's normally Fred-ick who tells me I can't leave my room."

"Who's that?" Robin asked in wonder as he was thrown into a world he didn't know anything about.

"He's a big meanie. That's who he is" She pouted. "He wears armor thicker than my arm and has a mean look like a bad guy. He always tries to catch me when I leave my room and he doesn't let me have any fun when I try to explore the outside world and save others from nasty bandits."

"Hmm." Robin pondered this chilling news with dread and said, "If he is a bad guy, then we have to stop him."

"I tried." She said frustrated. "I leapt from a bush to ambush him, but he picked me up and said it wasn't nice to hit people with my sword. But if he isn't a nice person, how can it be mean to attack him?"

"I don't know." The boy shrugged his shoulders as he tried to think of a plan of attack against someone that was possibly four to five times his height. "But can I see your sword?"

"Sure!" She replied eagerly and unsheathed her wooden weapon that was painted silver with her initials signed in blue on the hilt. With pride, she brought it in front of her and held it firmly with two hands.

"Wow!" Robin exclaimed as he inspected it. "A real sword."

"My parents made it for me." She exclaimed with a wide grin. "They told me a sword is strictly used to protect others, and that is a great response-hability.

"I wish I had one like that." The aspiring tactician said jealous.

"Maybe if you ask your parents they will give you one for your birthday." Lucina offered cheerfully.

"My parents." Robin's expression suddenly dropped as he lowered his head.

"Something wrong?" Lucina asked perplexed while sheathing her weapon.

"No." He quickly shook it off. "I just haven't seen my mom in a while. I don't think I'll be able to ask her for a sword until she gets back from her trip."

"Oh? Your mom had to go on an adventure too?" Lucina asked knowing that her parents once had to leave the castle to stop Walhart and Grima. She was too little to remember at the time, but she was very glad to have them back now.

"Yeah." Robin nodded back while playing with his hands. "She said she would be gone for a very long time. I miss her, but I shouldn't be too sad. She did give me two loaves of bread before she left me in the forest."

"What about your dad?" Lucina questioned curious about her new playmate.

"Mom said I never had one." The young boy said a little down.

Lucina's eyes widened in horror as she cried out "Never?!"

"Nope." He shook his head and said, "Mom said I was not wanted, and that I should not worry about it."

"Strange." Lucina scrunched her eyebrows and looked at Robin funny. To her, her father was the most incredible person in the world, and the greatest hero of all time.

"I am sorry." He replied panicked and concerned. "Did I say something to upset you?"

The princess gave him another strange glare and said, "No. I just thought it was strange. I'm not mad."

"Oh, good." He sighed in relief and said, "I'd hate to lose you as a friend after we just agreed to be one."

"Don't be silly." She replied back brightly. "We will always be friends! No matter what."

Robin was not sure what to make of this and cautiously said, "Even if I said something to make you mad at me?"

"Of course!" Lucina exclaimed and smiled back in turn. "A friend is a friend for life. That is what my mommy told me."

" _Wow."_ His eyes glowed in a mix of joy and amazement.

"Hehe, you sure are strange." Lucina giggled back.

"I must be. I don't seem to understand much about this place." The boy said as he looked around the room again. "It's all so different."

"Not to worry, I'll help show you around." She replied while bowing politely like she saw sister do once, "As my big sis says, 'it is a princess's duty to help others in need.'"

"You have a big sis?" Robin replied curious.

"I have two big sis, and one little sis." Lucina explained as she raised three fingers in the air. "My big sis is the one who told me about Marf."

"I see." He marveled as he felt silly for not hearing about him sooner since he was known by so many others. "I'll have to ask my big bro about him."

"You didn't tell me you had a big bro." Lucina asked interested since that was something she did not have.

"Shoot! I forgot. I just met him today." Robin explained with some pride. "He even has the same name as me."

"That's normal." The princess replied casually. "Most people have an older brother or sister who they are named after. For me, I share my name with my big sis who is the threeth greatest hero of all times!"

The young traveler was impressed and shocked to discover he had made friends with such an important person. "Wowza! Your big sis is a hero too?!"

"Yep!" Lucina confirmed with a wide smile. "She's the strongest, most courageous, and hardest working hero of them all! My sister is amazing with the sword, and she comes to play with me all the time. My big sis even brings her playmate with her which makes it even funner. His name is also Robin."

"Wait a second." The younger Robin replied with a puzzled expression. "My big bro is named Robin, and your big sis plays with someone named Robin. Do you think my big bro might know your big sis?"

"Hmmm." The young princess thought it over and said, "Maybe."

"Then, what does that make us?" He asked confused.

After giving it some careful thought, the eager young princess exclaimed, "The bestest of friends!"


	2. What Life Brings

Little Robin's sudden appearance created a massive stir in the castle. While it was not uncommon for a teenager to suddenly pop into the world and claim they were the son or daughter of two shepherds, this was different. Between five and six-years-old, Robin had no knowledge of how he got here. Asking him questions he did not understand only seemed to dishearten the lad even further. Nor did he recognize anyone in the castle. He was just as shocked to discover that he had a big bro as the veteran tactician was.

However, more concerning was how he was found. Robin's white hair was covered in leaves, broken branches, and dirt. Similarly, his oversized cloak had not been washed in ages and was cut in many areas. His eyes were dim and droopy like it had been a century since he last rested his eyes, and he seemed afraid to be near other people.

"How did you find him?" Chrom asked in the barracks with most shepherds in attendance as they he tried to learn more about the situation. For the past two days they had been largely without answers as Sumia and Lissa did all they could to return the young man to proper health. Sumia gave him a bath, mended his clothes, and looked after him as if he was her own. Meanwhile, the overly energetic cleric did all she could to heal his ailments and see that he was properly fed.

Lissa interjected and said, "Did you discover him lying on his back in a grassy field?"

"No, he found us." Stahl remarked still bewildered by the event while ruining any theories that the cleric currently had about the young man's origin. "Vaike, Cherche, and I went to the North West of the country to make sure that there were no bandits troubling any towns. My guess is Robin followed us for some time before he approached us."

"What makes you say that?" The Exalt asked thinking that was odd.

Cherche spoke this time and said, "Because no one in town or the neighboring areas saw him before, and Robin does not seem comfortable around new people. The boy only approached us after he saw Vaike give some candy to the local children."

"Ah, Vaike, you're such a big softy." Lissa teased.

"Shut it!" The shirtless warrior turned away from her and scratched the back of his neck embarrassed. "When the kid turned up, I figured he was like the rest of 'em. But just as I was about to give him some chocolate, I noticed that he looked familiar. Before I could get a word out, the damned kid asked if he could join our army." He grunted believing Robin to always be a weird one regardless of his age. "Now that I think about it, the little bugger didn't seem that interested in the chocolate either."

Stahl nodded to confirm and said, "Naturally, we asked him who he was and where his parents were, but all he told us was his name and that he needed to get stronger. The more we encouraged him to talk, the more uneasy he became."

"That's when we decided to bring him back with us." Cherche mentioned forcefully as she struggled to imagine the hardships that Robin had been through. "No one in town knew him and his resemblance is so uncanny to our current tactician that it made the most sense. However, as a mother I must confess that even if his parents were there I still would have taken him with me. He was in such bad shape that my patience would have failed when I demanded to know why they had neglected him so severely. Minvera's heart broke into pieces just looking at him."

"I would have done the same." Stahl agreed while cutting his hand through the air. "Judging from his appearance, he had to have been out there by himself for at least a month, if not more."

"The poor sod." Vaike muttered lowly.

Chrom then thought over what he heard and sighed. "Lissa, is his condition improving now that he is under our care?"

She nodded and said, "He's a strong boy. Some rest and a few remedies helped him through the thick of things. Personally, I'm more worried about the wounds we can't see. He seems very down on himself and quick to think he is at fault."

"Yeah, I noticed that-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Sumia called out unaware that she cut off Kellam mid sentence as she entered the barracks. With all the heads in the room turning towards her, she gave a polite nod and said, "It took longer than I expected to convince our new guest to meet with little Lucina."

"How'd it go?" Lissa asked interested as the queen took a seat around the table near her husband.

With a wide smile Sumia said proudly "They became fast friends. All I had to do was introduce the two before they started declaring how eager they were to play together."

"Figures as much." She giggled back. "Just like the grown-up versions, I knew they would gravitate to each other."

While not in attendance, the adult versions of Robin and Lucina surely would have blushed at the comment. Nevertheless, it was Lucina's birthday, so Robin and Morgan had swept her away to places unknown. The sneaky tactician had the day all planned out well in advance and wanted to make sure it was special for her. Not that it mattered because she appreciated just being able to spend the time with her family. It was also rare for anything to go according to plan when the three of them were involved.

"About that." Chrom added concerned, "Do you think it was wise to introduce them so early? We haven't decided what to do with this young version of Robin yet, and there is still so much we don't know."

"Well he is staying here of course!" The queen declared firmly to settle the matter. "And put yourself in his shoes. That poor guy is surrounded by a bunch of people he doesn't know that look at him as if he were an object for study. Lucina is probably the first friendly face he has met that genuinely wanted to spend time with him."

"You have a point." He acknowledged knowing this was a difficult situation for everyone involved, "But considering how bizarre the circumstances are, wouldn't it have been better if we erred on the side of caution before introducing him to our daughter?"

Sumia said playfully, "Dear, how can you be so heartless? The man I married graciously opened his home and family to an amnesiac tactician without caring about the risks."

"Look how that turned out for me." He grumbled under his breath with an unpleasant memory of Morgan's wide and sinister smile. Even Grima would be afraid of such a terrifying face that clearly plotted to destroy every semblance of Chrom's sanity.

Rolling her eyes, Sumia looked back at her husband and said, "Chrom, our little girl is five-years-old. I don't think you have to be worried at this stage with the two of them playing together. Besides, she is an entirely different person and there is no telling if she or Robin will follow in the footsteps of their bigger versions."

"I know they are two different people." Chrom affirmed as he looked around the room. "But as a father I am concerned about our daughter's safety. One Robin is already a bad enough influence on her."

Sumia simply shook her head and said, "You worry too much. Lucina was elated to find out that she had someone new to play with. I would wager that she was even more excited than Robin was, and he was practically jumping for joy. They both need the chance to spend time with someone their own age. Most of Lucina's friends are a year or two younger than her."

After hearing how happy his daughter was, Chrom shrugged with regret knowing that he was far more paranoid than he used to be. His wife was correct in her assertion that he would be the first person to welcome a stranger into his home. Just because this boy resembled his daughter-stealing best friend should have no effect on his hospitality "You are right, I am probably overreacting. They are just kids."

"You _are_ overreacting." Sumia reminded. "You are more terrified of a lost and confused five-year-old than you were fighting against Grima.

Chrom shrugged and said resigned, "If you say so. It's just … I can be a bit dense at times."

" _No!"_ Lissa gasped with a fake look of shock as she placed a hand on her chest.

Chrom glared back at his sister before ignoring her and said, "I missed all the warning signs the first time. As I think about it though, I am sure we can resolve this matter before I even have to worry about such unsettling thoughts. Maybe little Robin can even come to visit for holidays once we find him a nice home." He pondered optimistically as he tried to ease his concerns.

While lost in his own thoughts, little did he realize the subtle nod that Lissa gave back to Sumia, or the growing grin on the queen's face. Had the Exalt noticed his wife's ominous look, it would have sent shivers down his spine.

…

* * *

"This is the last block." The young tactician mentioned as he gently picked it up.

"Just be careful. I almost fell when I tried to place a block there." Little Lucina warned as they were almost finished with the construction of their fortress. Fortunately, Robin was slightly taller than her which made it easier for him to place blocks in hard to reach areas.

"I think I got it." Robin muttered as he leaned forward to place the final piece. His palm was sweaty, and his balance was not the best to start with, but he pressed onwards knowing that his friend was counting on him. With a delicate touch, Robin let go of the block and held his breath to see if the structure would stay. Two agonizing seconds later, Robin exhaled relieved as the column held steady. Their hard work paid off as they managed to stack the blocks higher than either of them thought possible.

"Yay! We did it!" Lucina celebrated as she proudly looked at the grand fortress that she had intended. Thanks to her new friend, it was even more spectacular than she could have imagined.

"Now we just need to find a gold ribbon for the gate." Robin mentioned as they both looked back at their handiwork.

"Right." She nodded back. "We need to find the most shiny and glowing ribbon of them all! Marf will only accept the very best from us."

"I'll search everywhere in the world if I have to." He declared determined to climb the highest peak and face the darkest dragon if it meant that he could help Lucina fulfill her mission.

"Yeah! We won't let anything stop us." The princess added happily.

After hearing that Robin suddenly frowned back and said, "I'm sorry, but you can't come."

"Huh?" Lucina pursed her lips and cried out alarmed. "Why not?"

"You said your daddy got mad at you the last time you left your room." Robin mentioned somberly while looking away from her, "I don't want to do anything that could cause you to get in trouble."

"I'm sure my daddy would understand if I explained that we had to leave the room to help Marf." She insisted not wanting to be left out. "He is a hero, so he knows these types of things."

"... I don't know." He hesitated unsure. "It would be wrong for me to risk putting you in danger. You are my friend."

Lucina's expression immediately hardened as she cried passionately, "You are my friend, and it would be rude of me not to show you around the castle. It's a princess's duty to be a good host!"

With his heart torn, Robin inwardly groaned to himself as he did not know what to do. A long time ago he swore he would do everything possible to protect and spend time with his friend if he ever managed to make one. However, under either scenario it seemed that he would be breaking his promise. Depressed, the boy's expression noticeable dropped as he said, "It's not fair. There must be something I can do to fix this."

Seeing how conflicted he was, Lucina also searched for a way to make things better. That is when she suddenly had an epiphany and jubilantly cried out, "Wait! My daddy only said that I couldn't leave the room unattended. But since you will be with me that means I will be tended!"

Robin eye's rose with a faint glimmer of hope as he looked back at the princess. Quickly he said, "Does that mean we can search for the gold ribbon together?"

"Yep!" Lucina cried with her cheerful demeanor returning.

The white-haired tactician exhaled relieved and said, "Good, I would have been sad to go without you."

"I would have been sad too." She nodded back.

After regaining his senses, Robin looked towards the exit of Lucina's bedroom and said, "Now we just need to find out how to open the door."

"Oh. That's the easy part." The cerulean princess countered as she quickly ran over to her bed. "I have a key hidden under my pillow so I can escape after Fred-ick locks me in."

"Where did you get that?"

Lucina smiled with pride and said, "One time my daddy dropped his key on the floor. He must have known that Fred-ick would hold me prisoner, so he gave me the hop-portunity to escape in case of an emergency."

"Wow, your daddy is super cool." Robin marveled back.

"I know!" Lucina cried always excited for the chance to talk about her father. "He even made it seem like he accidentally dropped it out of his pocket. He was really clever in making sure no one noticed it but me."

The future tactician was amazed at how resourceful heroes could be and said, "I have so much to learn."

"I'll be sure to introduce you to him soon." She smiled back warmly. "That can wait until later though. Right now, we need to move some furnish-ture over to the door so we can reach the key hole."

"Or." Robin paused in deep thought and said, "You can climb on my shoulders to reach the door. That way if Fred-ick comes to check on us he won't know how we managed to escape."

"Good thinking." She agreed as she quickly followed him to where the door was.

Once they were both directly underneath the keyhole, Robin dropped to his knees so that the princess would have an easier time climbing onto his shoulders. It took a couple tries, but eventually she steadied herself and placed her hands on the top of his head for balance. Grunting, Robin then slowly managed to raise his tiny legs upwards to give the princess enough height to reach the door handle.

"Got it!" She cried happily as she heard the tumblers click and the door give way.

With his face turning red from the stress, Robin quickly returned to the ground. His cloak helped pad his fall as his knees collided with the floor. Meanwhile, Lucina almost lost her balance from the sudden fall, but she held on long enough to hop off her friend without any issues.

Breathing heavily, Robin looked up to see a beaming princess offer a hand to help pull him up. For a brief moment he was surprised at the gesture, but he quickly accepted and said, "Thank you."

With her wide grin intact, she said "No, thank you. That was fun!"

"I'm glad." He huffed and gave a faint smile in between short breaths.

Seeing that he was visibly winded, Lucina gave Robin some time to recover before she said, "Are you ready to explore the castle?"

"Wait." He rose his hand up and said, "First we should re-hide the key in case Fred-ick captures us."

Lucina's eyes rose in shock as she said impressed, "That's another great idea! You must be a very smart person."

"Oh, uh." Robin nervously played with his hands while his cheeks turned a faint tint of pink. Never before had someone complimented him, and he wasn't sure what to do in these types of situations. "T-thanks. I think you are very smart too."

Lucina smiled at that and said, "That's what my parents tell me, but I never would have thought to return the key after unlocking the door."

"I-I'm glad I could help." The boy said stunned.

"Hehe." Lucina laughed at the funny face that Robin was making before running back to her bed to hide the key again. She quickly returned while running as fast as she possibly could and said, "Come on, let's go find the ribbon now!"

"Right!" He cried snapping out of his stupor.

Soon after escaping from the confines of their prison, the young princess began her usual routine to see if Fred-ick or any castle guards were nearby. She delicately peeked around corners and listened intently for any noises in the distance. She only motioned for Robin to follow her after she was sure that they would be safe to press forward.

"You aren't afraid to get dirty, are you?" Lucina asked as she knew that was an issue for her younger sister.

"No." He quickly replied while shaking his head.

"Good." She smiled and said, "That means we can go through the garden to avoid being found. Just be careful not to ruin any of the flowers. Mommy likes them a lot."

"I won't." He insisted knowing how important this mission was.

The two youngsters then carefully made their way through the long castle hallway. As the leader, Lucina made sure to keep her head low and walk on her tip toes to avoid making any unnecessary sounds. Robin in turn copied her movements as they both progressed their way down the corridor. However, Robin couldn't help but be amazed out how massive the roof was. He reasoned that the castle could have only been designed for giants as everything dwarfed his size. At that moment he was deeply glad that Lucina was here to help guide him since he felt like he could easily get lost.

"My older cousin Owain sleeps in that room." Lucina whispered while pointing to the door adjacent to them. Since she knew the castle like the back of her hand, she figured it would be a good idea to give Robin a tour along the way. "And my younger cousin Owain sleeps in the next room with his parents."

"You have a big family." Robin quietly commented back.

"I do. It's hard to keep track sometimes, but they are fun to play with." She replied cheerfully. "Silly too."

"I see." He said interested.

Lucina then pointed in the opposite direction and said, "Down there is where the kitchen is. It's where all our food comes from."

"A nice lady took me there yesterday." Robin added. "I never saw so much food before in my life."

"Oh? Where did you normally find food?" She asked curious. As they talked she discovered that Robin did a lot of thing differently than what she was accustomed to.

"There were usually berries in the forest that were easy to find." He mentioned not thinking much of it. "But the green ones always made my stomach hurt."

"Makes sense. Most green things are bad for you cause they taste terrible." Lucina stuck out her tongue and closed her eyes to mimic her past reaction to eating broccoli. "But mommy always tells daddy and I to eat them for some reason."

"Strange." He blinked back. "My mommy just told me to find my own food."

Lucina glanced back at him strangely as they walked down the castle corridor and said, "She never told you to eat vege-tables?"

"Nope." The boy lowered his head and said lightly, "We didn't talk very much because I was a burden."

"What do you mean?" Lucina questioned not understanding him.

Robin sighed as he balled his hand into a fist. "When I was younger my mommy had to take care of me all the time cause I was too little and weak. She didn't say it, but I know she was disappointed in me." He remarked lowly and filled with regret. Yet, a second later his expression changed as he said determined, "That's why I have to get stronger. I have to make sure I won't be a burden to anyone else so somesday people will like me."

"I like you." She smiled back encouragingly.

Robin didn't give any thought to her words and said, "You are just saying that to be nice."

Lucina turned around and adamantly swept her hand in the air like a sword. "No, I'm telling the truth. My daddy told me that I should never lie."

Hesitantly, Robin looked back at her unsure and said, "You promise?"

"I pinky promise!" She cried while extending out her finger.

"No! Don't do that!" He gasped in terror and scrambled backwards so she could not get near him, "You can never ever break one of those promises."

"I won't." She called out firmly.

"But how can you like me? I'm not strong yet." Robin said trying to get her to reconsider.

"I'm not strong either. Fred-ick still captures me." Lucina frowned while gripping her sword tightly. "That's why I was hoping we could train together so we both can get stronger after we finish our quest for Marf."

"… I would like that." He replied timidly while secretly trying not get his hopes up.

She grinned at that and said, "Great! Once we find you a sword we can train all day together."

Unable to look her in the eyes, Robin nervously looked at the floor and said, "Lucina?"

"Hmm?" She titled her head curious.

Visibly shaken, Robin gulped as he felt a growing queasiness in his stomach like he had ate a green berry. "I want you to know that I like you too. You are very nice and fun to be around. So I'm really, really, glad we can be friends. If possible I want to train with you everyday so somesday we can both be heroes."

Returning his previous question, she asked with a smile "You promise?"

"Y-yeah." He paused for a moment worried that she might suddenly decide to change her mind about him. The entire moment was surreal and he was half sure that he was dreaming. Nevertheless, Robin found the strength to extend his finger and link it with hers. His cheeks grew a deep red as he said, "I pinky promise."


	3. When You Least Expect It,

Towards the back of the castle held a garden that was known for its beauty and prestige. With the first seeds planted long ago by Caeda, the plot started out small but grew over time thanks to her successors. After much care, the place would become one of the many symbols of Ylisse's desire for peace and prosperity. Perhaps the Exalted Brand and Falchion were the only more iconic images that came to mind when thinking of the royal lineage.

This fertile land housed the usually suspects that one would expect to find planted in a garden. Guests would come to see the vibrant pink roses, elegant teal carnations, proud tulips that looked up to the sky, a row of orchids, lilies of all shapes and sizes, daffodils, a recently added column of white daisies, and many other exotic bulbs transplanted from their original homes. There was, however, one thing this garden had that no other garden or kingdom could claim for their own. Veiled between a thick patch of roses and a dense array of orchids, two rare breeds dug their roots as far as they could go in the soil.

Unlike anything else, a cerulean blue and snow-white crop had sprouted under everyone's noses. Occasionally they wiggled or twitched when there was a breeze, and even more surprising was their ability to talk. "I think they are leaving." The young princess whispered while not daring to lift her head or make any sudden movements.

"Good." Robin quietly mentioned in discomfort as they waited for the castle guards to pass them by. At the moment, the two colorful children were lying face down in the prone position with their hands underneath their chests and their heads slightly turned to the right to be as inconspicuous as possible. Anxiously, they could hear the jangling of chain mail, the clings and clangs of metal greaves colliding, and the haunting echoes of boots marching along the path behind them.

To be safe, Lucina already had her toy sword at the ready. The determined look in her eyes showed that she would not go down without a fight if they were caught. "At least it is not Fred-ick."

"How can you tell?" Robin asked gently with his view obstructed by stems and sharp thorns.

"He is a lot quieter when he walks." She informed as she listened carefully for the pattern of footsteps to dissipate.

A few moments later the tactician did not hear anything and asked, "Are they gone?"

"I think so, but don't move just yet. They might come back." Lucina mentioned while staying perfectly still.

Robin inwardly grunted as his discomforts grew. He was terrified of being discovered, but even worse was the growing itch that was plaguing his nose. Unable to move, Robin tried desperately not to think about his urgent need to scratch there. Unfortunately, as time passed the itch spread to other parts of his body like an infection. First to his shoulders, then to his forehead, and even to arms. The more he resisted the stronger the affliction became.

"Enh." He let out a brief and low grunt as it unwillingly escaped his mouth. Not wanting to risk revealing his position, the only thing he could do to alleviate the situation was to dunk his nose into the ground repeatedly like a woodpecker.

"Something wrong?" Lucina asked puzzled at her friend's actions.

"The flowers don't like me." Robin reasoned as he buried his head in the ground. Even though he was careful not to touch any of the flowers, he believed he must have disturbed them somehow and they were extracting their revenge on him. "They hexed my nose."

"Hang in there for a little longer. I can ask my aunt to remove the spell when we finish our mission." She informed as she rose her head slowly to check their surroundings. To her relief, there was no sight of any guards or Frederick darkening their way.

"Do you see any gold ribbons?" Robin asked as he attended to the annoying signals coming from his body. The boy's face was now visibly darker as a brown patch of dirt stuck to his nose and cheeks. Robin also had to blow out his nose to make sure he did not inhale any seeds. The last he wanted was for a flower to start growing in his stomach.

"No." Lucina replied while turning to her friend. "We won't find any here. That's why we are here looking for an ally who can help us."

"An ally?" Robin repeated as his curiosity peaked. Mustering the courage to overcome his fears of getting caught, he decided to peer over the flowers to get a better view. Although, immediately upon doing so his eyes widened in terror as he saw a giant metal beast in the distance with an ominous and otherworldly presence. It appeared that a suit of armor had literally swallowed a person whole and left only a blank and expressionless face under its ruthless grip. "Lucina! Get down!" He warned terrified as he instinctively fell on his rear.

"Huh?!" Lucina immediately did as she was told and ducked under the flowers. Hurriedly, she looked to Robin and said, "What is it?"

"It's Fred-ick!" Robin said frightened and with a cold sweat running down his face.

"Where?" She questioned urgently in a hushed tone.

"T-there." The panicked boy motioned to his left where he saw the colossus suit of armor. He then quickly ducked his head and covered it with his hands hoping they were still in a safe hiding spot.

Unsure what to make of this, Lucina once again peered over the flowers with a growing sense of dread. Yet, once she got a clear view of the garden the only thing her eyes saw was an empty horizon. There were no signs of the heartless blue knight anywhere. Just a bright array of flowers in full bloom.

With some doubt, Lucina said, "Are you sure you saw something?"

"Of course!" Robin replied firmly. "He's a super-giant. Like you said, his armor is much thicker than our arms. Maybe even ten times as much."

Lucina looked back at Robin confused for a moment. It crossed her mind that maybe his eyes were hexed too, but the princess gave him the benefit of the doubt and searched the garden a second time. After cautiously scanning the area, she squinted her eyes and suddenly noticed a vague shadow in the distance. It was so obscure that she missed it the first and second time, but upon closer inspection the veiled figure was truly as massive as Robin had described. "Oh! That's amazing! You found Kill 'em!

"Who?" Robin whispered in dismay.

"Kill 'em." She repeated the name to her friend. "He's a ninja."

Robin gulped and said nervously, "A ninja? Those guys are unstoppable."

"Yep! He is a master at hide and seek." Lucina informed with a wide grin. "I've only found him once, and that was by accident. The rest of the times he had to say hello before I noticed him."

"Wait? You've talked to him?!" Robin asked truly bewildered.

"Of course. He is a friend of my parents." She said upbeat.

" _Wow._ " He marveled with a growing fascination. "Your parents must be more powerful than I ever imagined. Not only are they friends with a ninja, but this one is ginormous!"

"My parents say he is a gentle giant." Lucina smiled back. "And he only uses his powers for good. That is why they get along so well."

"… So, he won't step on me?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nope. He might even be able to help us." She offered optimistically. "He's great at lifting heavy things and he protects us from bad people at night."

"Wowzers." Robin said impressed and amazed that they had him as an ally. Regardless of where the boy looked, it appeared that he was surrounded by greatness.

…

* * *

"Hi! It's good to see you again Kill 'em!" Lucina waved her hands as she ran over to approach the quiet knight with Robin following behind her. "I actually was able to see you this time!

"Oh, um, hello there princess." He replied surprised. "And my name is Kellam, not Kill 'em."

Lucina glanced back at him strangely and said, "That is what I said. Kill _'em_."

Kellam gave a brief sigh before looking down at the two kids and said, "Either way, what are you doing out of your room?"

"I'm on a secret mission so I can't say." Lucina frowned. "But! I can introduce you to my new playmate! His name is Robin and he comes from far, far away. He's super smart, and he has great eyes. He is the one that spotted you despite your dish-guise!"

"Hi." Robin barely muttered as he looked up to the giant with a mix of fear and wonder.

"Hello." Kellam replied equally surprised. By now he was resigned to the fact that people didn't notice or remember he existed. For little Lucina and Robin to find him was one of those rare events that left him speechless without being talked over. "It's nice to meet you Robin."

"Y-you as well." He replied timidly. "And thank you for not smooshing me."

Not sure what he meant, Kellam asked, "What happened to your nose?"

"The flowers hexed him." Lucina explained referring to the brown spot on his face and the dirt around the rest of his body.

In turn Robin nodded and said, "It's true. They made me itch all over."

The solemn knight knelt to one knee and turned to Robin to say, "I see. And what brought you two out to the garden?"

"We are searching for a gold ribbon." The boy replied as he spoke with more authority. "Marf is depending on us to find one for him."

"Do you think you could help us?" Lucina added upbeat.

"I don't know if I should." The knight said believing the first thing he should do was send them back to their room and alert their parents that they had escaped.

"Awww. Pretty please?" She asked mimicking her mother's innocent and beady eyes when she wanted something. She had not mastered the technique, but so far it was good enough to work on her father. "It is for a good cause."

"Yes, please Mr. Ninja!" Robin pleaded out forcefully. "With your help you can turn us _indivisible_ so the guards won't see us."

The solemn knight shrugged as this was not the first time Lucina had come to him asking for assistance in one of her quests. "I suppose if I don't help you two then you will just sneak out again."

Both the young tactician and princess nodded their heads as they said, "Yep."

"… Very well." Kellam hesitantly said to their delight as he looked over to Lucina. "But first, you have to tell me how you got out of your room. You know that your parents don't want you wandering around without supervision."

"Don't worry. That's why Robin is with me. He has _super_ vision for him to be able to find you." The princess explained happily. "And it is my duty as a princess to give him a tour of our home."

"It's true." The boy nodded to confirm. "I've also promised that I won't let anyone hurt my new friend. No matter what!" He cried while raising his fist in the air.

"I'm sure princess Lucina is in good hands." Kellam nodded back with his stoic expression permanently fixed upon his face, "Nevertheless, it is becoming a habit of hers to leave her room without informing anyone."

"She informed me that we were leaving her room." Robin reasoned while he looked up to the giant curiously. "Doesn't that count?"

"That's right!" Lucina cheered. "I followed all of my daddy's rules for leaving this time."

Kellam shrugged to himself and said, "Something tells me that is not what your father had in mind."

"Mr. Ninja. Sir." Robin said while trying to appear taller by raising his shoulders. "I'm not very familiar with the shadowy arts, but I can speak for my friend. Her wish is purely to help the great Hero King. As a gentle giant, I'm sure you understand how important that is. If you could point us in the right spot, we would be very grateful. I'm sure Marf would even reward you for your efforts."

Thinking it over, Kellam knew from past meetings that the shepherds had trouble getting little Robin to speak. At least in this situation he appeared willing to be more open about himself in exchange for finding a gold ribbon. So, against his better judgment he said, "It would probably be better if I took you to it."

…

After thanking Kellam ten times over, the trio marched down the halls with the quiet knight leading the way. Behind him, the two excited kids imitated every move and gesture he made. They figured if they copied all Kellam's movements exactly, then they too could become invisible to the eye. Although, the one thing they could not copy was Kellam's blank expression. They were too busy smiling and giggling with anticipation and excitement.

"So, um. Uh." Kellam's mind blanked as he tried to think of a way to start a conversation with a pair of children. Besides his wife, he was used to being ignored and small talk was not his strong suit. Most of the time his wife did the talking anyways. "Robin. Lucina tells me you come from far away."

"Yeah." Robin replied matter-of-factly. "One day I woke up and suddenly I found myself in a different forest. I'm still not sure how that happened."

"Are you sure it was not just a different part of the same forest?" Kellam asked back.

In turn the boy shook his head and said, "No. I've always lived in the forest. I know it well. Then, one day I opened my eyes and noticed that it changed."

"How so?" Lucina asked interested.

Robin closed his eyes to imagine the scene and said, "The trees and bushes were taller than before. I thought for a moment I had shrunk in my sleep, but then I noticed a lot of other things changed. The old tree by the water was gone. There was a bunch of green stuff on the stones around me, and there was a path that I could follow."

"Did you notice anything odd the day before those things appeared?" Kellam questioned back.

"Nope." Robin deadpanned. "But I followed the path to find a town. There were many kids there which is why I liked to go and watch them play."

"Eh? You just watched? You didn't join them?" Lucina asked surprised. She knew the first thing she would do in that situation would be to run up to their leader and ask to join their game.

"Never." Robin quickly shook his head and said, "My mommy told me to never talk to strangers or go near the desert. She said some bad guys were hunting us. They would take us away and do very mean things to us if I did."

Lucina's brow furrowed as she said sternly to the quiet knight, "That's awful! We must tell my daddy about this at once! We can't let anyone hurt Robin or his mommy!"

Not including the young princess, this was the first mention to Kellam or any of the shepherds about Robin's mother. Unsure what to say, the ironclad warrior said, "If what Robin says is true, then his mother is probably referring to the Grimleal."

"The who?" Robin and Lucina both asked simultaneously.

The Grimleal were a group of people who tried to stop us on our journey." Kellam said lightly while careful to skip any of the gruesome details. "I believe that is the group that tried to harm you."

"Oh." The boy said surprised. "I never heard of the Grim L's, but mommy usually never told me much about them. Just that I should never go to the desert or talk to strangers."

"Well they must be stopped!" Lucina cried ferociously and with an unyielding determination. "Anyone who would try to harm Robin or his mommy must be a bad person!"

"It's okay, princess." Kellam gave a faint attempt of a smile and said, "The Grimleal are gone. We have already taken care of them."

"Good!" Lucina reasoned as she promptly nodded her head. "They should have learned to be nice instead. That way daddy would not have had to teach them a lesson."

"… They're gone." Robin whispered in dismay as he stopped dead in his tracks. Kellam had figured this would be welcome news, but it had struck Robin to the core and left him unable to move.

For a moment the boy winced as he looked away. His cheerful demeanor had suddenly vanished as he became timid again. Taking note, Lucina saw the distress on his face and asked, "Robin, what's wrong?"

"If the bad guys are gone." Robin paused as his eyes narrowed. "Then why didn't mommy come back? She had to go because I was holding her down, but if the bad guys are gone..." He trailed off as his eyes dimmed and his shoulders slouched. "Why didn't she come back?"

"Maybe she has not found out the news yet." Lucina offered trying to give him hope.

Robin quickly turned toward Kellam and asked "Mr. Ninja. When did Lucina's daddy stop the Grim L's?"

"Um. It was almost two years ago." He mentioned stoically.

"Two years?" He whispered dazed and out of sorts. "I don't understand."

"Don't worry." Lucina mentioned while smiling back at her friend. "My daddy will sort this all out. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so." He nodded back, "None of this makes sense to me."

The princess walked closer to him until they were directly facing one another. She then tapped him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. I trust my daddy to take care of this, but for now Marf has put his trust in us."

"Right." Robin said slowly as he tried to refocus his attention. "Mr. Ninja. How much longer until we find a gold ribbon?"

"We are nearly there." He assured the unsettled boy. "There is a storage room that holds all our spare clothes and materials."

Satisfied with that answer, Robin turned to his playmate and said, "Hey, Lucina. I have a question."

"I have an answer." She cried back enthusiastically.

"How may people live here? It seems like there is a door to everything." Robin asked thinking that the castle was larger than the forest itself.

Lucina started counting with her fingers as she listed all the people she could think of. There were even some people working inside the castle that she didn't know at all. "Gosh. It is a big number. Maybe like 20 tens." She replied while showing her hands face up.

"Wow. That is a big number." Robin said surprised while unable to truly comprehend a castle that had so many people. "Are they all a part of your family too?"

"No." The princess shook her head and said, "My family is two or three tens. It's hard to keep track though cause we get a lot of new cousins, aunts, and uncles that show up. The rest of the castle is for guards and helpers. They take care of the castle and make sure we are safe."

"I see." The aspiring tactician said while thinking it over. He was vaguely starting to understand his new surroundings, but he knew it would take him some time to adjust. "Maybe I can find more of my family here too. I already found a big bro."

"It's possible." Lucina agreed. "I meet new family all the time. My big sis also says she became family with your big bro."

"Hey! Maybe that means the two of us could be family somesday." He cried with a cheerful spirit before he quickly stopped himself. Fearing he might have overstepped his bounds, the boy covered his mouth with his hand before backtracking his words. "That is, if you still liked me."

"Of course!" She exclaimed. With such a large family she believed that adding one more person to the list couldn't hurt. In this case it was an added bonus that she was able to play with Robin and explore the castle without getting in trouble. "I'll be sure to ask my big sis how she became family with your big bro. Though, I think my big sis did say it took a long time."

"That's okay." He nodded back. "We have to focus on training to be heroes anyways."

"Right!" The princess said actively. "We will train from when the sun rises until it gets too tired and takes a nap."

"I can train even longer if needed." He insisted wanting to be useful to his friend.

Lucina smiled at that and said, "Cool. I've never trained before when the sun was napping."

Unknown to the two children lost in conversation, Kellam returned with a small piece of cloth in his hand and said, "Will this ribbon work?"

"Oh." Lucina paused while completely forgetting about the quiet knight. "Kill 'em. Where did you go?"

"I went to get the ribbon." Kellam replied blankly.

"Amazing." Robin said impressed. "You truly are a master ninja. I didn't even notice that you left."

"Most don't." He shrugged as he sometimes wondered if he was nothing more than a ghost to others.

Meanwhile, Lucina inspected the gold ribbon in Kellam's hand carefully. She double and tripled checked to make sure it did not have any flaws or defects. It also had to shine properly to reflect the accomplishments and courageous nature of the Hero King. Once she believed it was in excellent condition, she shouted triumphantly, "That's perfect! I'm sure Marf will love it!"

"Hooray!" Robin celebrated as they accomplished their mission. "Mr. Ninja, I owe you a great deal for your help. Thank you."

Lucina then reached down to her pants pocket and fiddled for an object. Once she found what she was looking for, she smiled and said, "Yes. Thank you so much Kill 'em. Please accept this as a ree-ward. I found it on one of my other adventures."

The bluenette opened her hand in front of Kellam to reveal a lone gold coin with a speck of dirt on the edge. In addition to the money, the armored knight was welcomed with a beaming smile from the radiant princess who was overjoyed to hold the gold ribbon in her hand. Even for the indifferent knight, he felt a sense of pride swell inside him for being able to help the two energetic children. "You can keep it princess. I am honor bound to serve you and the royal family."

"Are you sure?" She glanced back at him skeptically while tilting her head. "You deserve it for helping us."

"Yes, I am sure." Kellam replied while waving away her hand. "My reward was being able to assist you on your journey."

"Incredible! That's exactly something a hero would say." Robin gasped in shock as he was able to witness a hero in action.

Lucina nodded and said, "Very well. Thanks again Kill 'em. You are the best!"

Kellam chuckled as he said modestly, "I wouldn't say tha—"

"Hey Robin!" Lucina immediately turned to her friend with the gold ribbon in tow and said, "Now that our mission is complete, I'll race you back to my room!"

"Okay!" He chirped back excitedly. "First one back gets to tie the ribbon on the gate."

"Deal!" Lucina exclaimed with her eyes sparking in excitement. One thing she forgot to mention to Robin was that she loved to run. Especially when she had someone to compete against.

"Huh? Wait!" Kellam said too late as the two boisterous kids sprinted down the hallway at full speed with their little legs taking them as fast as they could go. Kellam could hear the pair giggling as they zoomed passed the blurred landscape with a growing thrill in their voices. While the knight was not sure if he should chase them down, one thing was certain above all else. Regardless of who won the race, it was guaranteed there would be a rematch.


	4. Most of the Time

After their adventurous escapades from the previous day, the two lively children were cleaned up and back inside Lucina's room as they tried to make the most of their current situation. Naturally, their first instinct was to escape their confines and go out on another adventure. This time they were planning on finding a sword for Robin so they could train together long after the sun had set. However, this plan was cut short because of the big and mean Frederick who had barricaded their door on the outside to prevent them from leaving. Since Lucina always seemed to find a way to escape, the blue knight had to take drastic measures.

Chrom also expressed dismay about how the two children could have gotten into so much trouble in merely one encounter. Little did the Exalt understand that yesterday was merely a sample of their potential as they looked for ways to get a stronger and become heroes themselves. In truth, nothing can outmatch the creativity or curiosity of a young child, and in this case their behavior was not that far off from their adult version who also always seemed to find themselves in trouble as well.

"Quick! Enemies are coming from the right and the left!" Lucina warned as she dramatically rolled forward to dodge an axe from cutting her in two. She then lunged to counter with a barrage of quick and successive attacks. The sudden movements also caused some strands of her hair to roll in front of her eyes as she swung her sword around with all her strength.

"They are trying to surround us." Robin muttered with his concentration solely focused on the battle in front of him. In the heat of the moment, he was conjuring every possible scenario he could think of to hold the line. Greatly outnumbered and under-equipped, the mountain terrain was their only saving grace that allowed them to bottleneck their enemies into two separate and dynamic defensive positions.

"I'll hold my ground!" The princess shouted while taking on two more brigands. Effortlessly, she swung her toy sword across her left shoulder and whipped her weapon back to the right on the follow through. The two foes didn't stand a chance as they fell to the ground unceremoniously.

"Nice one!"

"Thanks." She beamed back proudly. "I saw my daddy do that move before."

"Just be careful moving forward. There are archers on the cliff and _hore-sish_ across the way." Robin said struggling to pronounce horses. The young tactician particularly found difficulty in saying words starting with the letter H. One time Sumia even had to correct him when he accidentally said whores by mistake. Luckily, Lucina understood what he meant because they both got confused when they said knights or nights.

"Don't worry. I'll protect us." Lucina said determined.

With his faithful playmate besides him, Robin looked at the floor to oversee his strategy. There was a collection of various toys and figurines scattered around the room that the two children had lined up to create a mock battle. They even assigned them names and moved pieces around accordingly. From a quick glance he could tell their army was already pushed to its limits as fire rained from the sky and dark magic seeped through the ground.

"Lucina, there is an enemy coming up behind you!"

"On it!" She cried while roundhouse kicking her opponents in the stomach. The result sent the swordsman flying several feet away before gravity finally pulled him back down. Immobilized, the soldier would be one of the lucky ones to lose consciousness and escape the rest of the battle with his life intact.

Meanwhile, a whistling rain of arrows pierced the air with a chilling howl and hiss. With barely any time to react, the young tactician commanded everyone nearby to take cover behind the toy figurine that represented Kellam. The tactician reasoned that the wall of steel that Kellam wore was the only thing that could resist the storm of arrows as they plinked off his massive frame like gnats. Robin then turned to his companion and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm safe." Lucina reassured with both hands firmly clasped to her sword. "It will take more than that to stop me!"

"Good, cause more of them are coming." Robin said as a new volley of arrows coated with green acid blanketed the cloud covered sky. This time around they dug inside Kellam's armor instead of bouncing off. Fortunately, his armor was thick enough that the deadly substance could not do any real damage to the knight other than weaken his chest plate.

"Robin, what do we do now?" The swordswoman asked with their situation growing dire. The sudden and countless barrage of arrows would soon be followed by swarms of brigands trying to break through their defenses.

"I-I don't know." He said uncertain as he motioned everyone to maintain a defensive formation. "If we move they will run us over and–"

In that moment an ear shattering wail halted both of them as its vibrations echoed and stunned everyone on the battlefield. The screech was nothing less than a plague on the sky as it relayed the message of despair and unyielding hatred of its owner.

"Dragon!" Lucina cried out alarmed. "It is coming!"

"Shoot." Robin swore as he felt his heart jump out of his chest followed by a slushy churn in his stomach. Already at his limit trying to think of ways to defend the army, the tactician's hands shook erratically while he stood perilously near defeat. Hearing the cries of the spiteful four-legged flying reptilian only dampened his resolve further. "Lucina! Order everyone to get out of here. We can't fight that thing here."

"But the enemy horsemen!" She cried back referring to the row of cavalry ready to chase them down on their retreat.

"I'll stay here to delay them." He nodded somberly while unsuccessfully trying to appear calm, "You can escape while I hold them back."

"No." Lucina replied calmly and without a second thought as she disregarded his plan in an instant.

"Whuh?" Robin froze as that was the last thing he was expecting to hear. "We have no other choice. A dragon is–"

"No." The princess shook her head and said sternly. "That won't work. You will have to think of something else."

Inside the room, the boy pretended he was looking up to the gray covered sky to search for the dragon and said, "There is no time. It's best that I stay. Your life is more important than mine."

"No!" The young princess cried ferociously in a high pitch tone. "Shepherds don't leave anyone behind! My daddy and your big bro said so."

"But. But…" Robin trailed off unsure what to do. This is not how he imagined things would go at all.

"Think of something else." The young princess cried adamantly as the two children briefly returned to reality.

"I've tried." The boy said defeated, "I thought of everything I could think of. This is my best move to protect you."

"Well you will have to think harder." She replied unsympathetic to her friend's predicament. "Cause I am not leaving you behind."

Robin glanced back at the floor with his head already troubling him. He had burned out his brain trying to think of other alternatives and he did not expect such a strong reaction from his friend. "They will probably just capture me after I delay them."

"Then I will come rescue you!" Lucina added unmoved.

"Eng." Robin closed his eyes as his headache was overtaking him. "I don't understand. I'm the only one who gets hurt this way."

"Exactly." The princess said upset. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"But. Why?" Robin said unable to understand his friend's logic. "It is better if I get hurt than someone else. My life is not important."

"That's not true!" Lucina rebuked while looking him straight in the eye. "No one should get hurt. 'Specially my friend."

Forgetting their game for a moment, Robin frowned and said, "But you are a princess. I'm just a nobody."

"Hmph." Lucina crossed her arms and said, "Don't say that again. You are my friend which makes you somebody special. Even my mommy saw something special in you because she wanted to be your friend too!"

"But I…" Robin trailed off at a loss for words.

"Plus, if you get hurt then I won't have someone to train with." Lucina added as she said adamantly, "We already pinky promised to train together until we _both_ become heroes. That can't happen if you disappear."

"… You are right." Robin said dimly. "I'm sorry."

"You should be." Lucina nodded back hurt.

The boy looked down to the floor ashamed and a bit perplexed. "I just don't want you to worry about me."

"I have to. _Friends help friends_." She recited from a story that her parents had read to her. "I would be a bad friend if I didn't want to see you safe."

"I see. I really am sorry." He replied in deep thought as he never looked at it that way before. He had vowed to serve his new friend, but it had not crossed his mind that such an agreement was reciprocal.

"You are forgiven." She said while patting him on the shoulder. "But don't do that next time. I would be sad to see you get hurt and it is mean for you to tell me not to protect you."

"Okay." Robin replied meekly. "I won't forget that or my promise to you."

"Good. Cause we have to find a way to defeat the dragon!" She exclaimed with her sword at the ready. "I can't do that without your help."

Suddenly, an idea popped in Robin's head like a firecracker as his eyes widened with a new-found hope. He then turned to his friend and said, "Maybe we can trick the enemy arrows into attacking the dragon by making them think he is on our side."

"That could work!" She agreed as she raised her weapon in the air pretending it to be the same sword that her father and older sister wielded. "And once he comes out of the sky I'll smash him real good with my mighty _Falcon_ sword!

"Yeah!" Robin cheered back. "We will stop him together!"

...

* * *

The proceeding battle between the children and the dragon was fierce and unyielding. For several minutes it became a game of the two running across the room chasing the dragon above them with different strategies to knock him down. Several times they narrowly escaped the scorching breath of their opponent, but no matter how perilous the situation was, Robin swore that he would find a way for them both to come out of it alive.

However, in the midst of battle, the children were unaware that they had two new observers. The antics and war cries that Robin and Lucina made caused their hidden guests to smile greatly as they looked on with immense curiosity. Little Lucina would make noises so it sounded like she was making contact with the dragon's scales, and Robin gave meticulous advice about the dragon's weaknesses. The tactician even looked ready to fight with his bare hands if necessary.

"Take that you mean old snake!" Lucina cried ferociously. "You are lucky my daddy is not here to turn you into a toad."

"Yeah! We will–" Robin stopped as he noticed an opening in the door to Lucina's room. Since the two had already tried to breach the door before, this came as a surprise.

"Huh? Why did you stop?" The young princess asked as she looked back to her friend. She then turned to see two heads peer out of the door now that they had been caught. Immediately recognizing their faces, the princess excitedly ran towards them and cried, **"Uncle Robin! Bis Sis!** Did you come to help us defeat the dragon?"

With a warm smile, the 23-year-old version of Robin said "Of course."

"Yaaaay!" The young princess cheered while raising her hand in the air. "We can surely vang-squish the dragon now!"

Meanwhile, Lucina's older counterpart blushed embarrassed at her excitement. The 22-year-old time traveling princess was constantly reminded by her younger self about how energetic and silly she was in her youth. A point her husband would often tease her about. "We were also hoping to meet your new friend."

"Oh! Right. You haven't met Robin yet." Little Lucina said as she quickly turned to introduce her friend and partner in battle.

Little Robin, however, looked up to the two giants with a transfixed stare as he slowly stepped forward. At first, he was happy to see his big brother, but currently his attention was solely captured on the luminary glow and beaming expression of the older princess whose cerulean hair cascaded down to him like extremely fine ribbons. He sincerely believed that the color of her hair far exceeded even the illustriousness of gold as he watched her in admiration. "Are you … Are you an angel?"

Instinctively, she gave a faint laugh at his comment which only captivated the boy even further. The older princess also had to internally restrain herself from scooping the boy up in a giant hug as she surely would have threatened to squish him in her arms. The adorable stare and demeanor of the five-year-old boy was almost too much for her to bear as she watched his reaction carefully. "Hi there. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid I'm not an angel."

"… Are you sure?" Little Robin asked back uncertain. "You look like one to me."

She giggled as she turned to her husband and said, "It seems you were always the silver-tongued flatterer."

"I mean, I can't really blame him." The adult tactician laughed back. "That was my first reaction to seeing you without your mask."

She simply shook off her husband and returned her attention to the boy. "It's a pleasure to meet you Robin. I'm Lucy's older sister. I hope she is treating you well."

"Who is Lucy?" Little Robin muttered back softly while still enthralled by the angelic women in front of him.

"That's me!" The younger princess exclaimed. "Since my big sis and I share a name, it is less confusing to call me Lucy when we are together."

"Oh." Little Robin reasoned as he said, "In that case, you can call me whatever you'd like, your grace-ly-ness.

Lucina simply smiled back and said, "I can call your brother by a different name instead if you'd prefer. I offered Lucy the same option with my name."

"She usually just calls me a scoundrel anyways." The veteran tactician joked back.

Little Robin thought it over before saying politely, "No, it is okay. I don't want to change my big bro's name. He was here first."

Giving it some thought, Lucina said to the boy, "Very well, how about this. I'll call you Robby, and I'll refer to your big brother as Cupcake."

"Okay." Little Robin nodded back willing to accept his new nickname.

Although, his older self had different ideas on the matter. "Cupcake is the first name you could think of for me?"

"It seems fitting." She replied teasingly. "You are sweet, something I look forward to seeing, and I can take you wherever I want."

The older tactician simply shook his head and ignored the fact that his wife was right in that she could drag him to the end of the world and back without any resistance. Perhaps what was worse is that Cupcake didn't even scratch the surface of all the embarrassing names she had called him since they married over two years ago.

"I have a solution!" Lucy interjected. "I will call Uncle Robin, Uncle. You can call him Big Bro, and Bis Sis can call him Cub Cake!"

"… Let's save the names for another time." The amnesiac said trying to keep a shred of his long-lost dignity. "I'm sure you two will think of far worse things to call me."

In turn, his wife resisted the urge to tease him further and said, "I suppose that is fair. At least, for the time being I am more interested in learning about you, Robby."

"Me?" The boy said stunned.

"Yes. I'm told you helped keep Lucy safe yesterday on your journey to help Marth." She said in a warm and motherly tone. "You have my thanks."

"Oh, um, uh." Robby blushed at the compliment while completely memorized by her smile. "Y-your welcome."

While not present in the castle yesterday, Lucina had been debriefed about what the Shepherds knew about their new recruit. This was merely the first opportunity she had to meet him in person. So far, he was every bit as adorable and precious as she had pictured. "If you don't mind, I was hoping you could tell me more about yourself now that you are friends with my sister."

"What would you like to know?" Robby asked wanting to be helpful. He would recount every memory and experience he ever had in full detail if she asked.

"For starters, what made you want to join the Shepherds?" She asked in a calm and sweet voice. It was the same interrogative style she used against her husband when she wanted to know something.

"Uh. The kids in the town near the forest would often talk about the Shepherds." Robby replied like a moth to an open flame. "I knew I wanted to be strong like the heroes I heard about."

Lucy then added, "That's why Robby and I are going to train every day to live up to the Shepherd name!"

Robby nodded enthusiastically in return and said, "Yeah! We will train super hard to be heroes somesday!"

"I am sure you will." Lucina confirmed while giggling at his grandiose movements. Secretly, her husband feared that she was enjoying this meeting a little too much. He shuddered to think of all the heinous thoughts running through his wife's head as she declared Robby to be the cutest thing in the universe.

"But this place is a lot different than the forest." Robby replied amazed at what the world had to offer. "Heroes, ninjas, and angels. It's much different than where I was."

The older Robin joked and said, "I'm sure the towns folk looked more like Vaike than the angel next to me."

Blushing, Lucina was about to say something but Robby beat her to it. "Vaike is the guy with the axe and no shirt, right?"

"Yes, that's him."

Robby shook his head and said, "Then no. The people in the forest had big knives. Not axes."

"Were they eating a giant steak?" Lucy questioned back curious.

The boy raised his shoulders and said, "I dunno. They always hid themselves and covered their faces."

Lucina found that to be strange and said, "Could you tell us more about these people?"

"Um." Robby thought it over carefully as he did not know much about them. "They were new. They had brown cloaks which made it hard to see them, but I saw them a couple times. They also whispered a lot. I don't think they wanted to be found."

"Were you able to hear anything they said?" Lucina asked hoping he may have overheard something.

He frowned and said, "I'm sorry. I thought if I got closer they would find me. I didn't want to be found cause they did not seem nice."

"Don't worry. You did the right thing." Robin replied to reassure his younger self. Mentally, he had to disregard the idea that he was complimenting himself. His life was already weird enough.

"You really mean that, Big Bro?" He asked hoping that he was able to be of some use.

"Yes. From what you said it seems we might have some rogue elements in the woods." Robin replied unsettled. "It would be too dangerous to try to get near them by yourself."

"Well that's no good!" Lucy furrowed her brow and said, "We will have to tell daddy about this at once! There is only one nice thief in the world, and that is because he gives candy."

"Indeed, father will need to hear about this." Lucina said gravely. "Perhaps it is even connected to how Robby got here."

"It's possible." Robin replied in deep thought. "But I don't like it."

"Me neither!" Lucy huffed.

"Me neither, either!" Robby added not wanting to be left out.

…

* * *

After discovering that there were other mysterious dwellers in the woods, the two adults asked Robby about any other strange things he might have seen. While the boy was usually not a huge fan of answering questions, he wanted to please the tall and beautiful princess who kindly looked down on him. However, it was abundantly clear as time progressed that he was getting fatigued trying to answer so many questions. There was only so much he could tell before he struggled to remember anything. It didn't help that he had no sense of time or how long it had been since he last saw his mother. Luckily for him, Robin and Lucina acquiesced to their younger doppelgangers and changed the subject to defeating the evil dragon in the room.

The next hour could only be described as pure chaos as the four warriors battled the countless foes that were conjured up by the children's imaginations. Lightning, tornadoes, meteors, sorcerers, cavalry, and flames were only a small sample of the obstacles they face in their quest. Perhaps the most perilous challenge was for Lucina to stop herself from squeezing the stuffing out of Robby. Had anyone told her that she would one day meet the miniature version of her husband, she would have demanded to meet him at once. It was also added revenge because Robin had a constant habit of teasing her about her younger self.

...

"You know sometimes you terrify me, Lucina." Robin said half-jokingly after they left Lucy's room and said their goodbyes to the two children. With the dragon slain the two kids were already off formulating their next adventure.

"What would ever make you say that?" She hummed with a fake tone of innocence.

The strategist simply shook his head and said, "Because if we stayed any longer then you would have mauled my younger self."

"Only a little." Lucina said making no attempts to deny her intentions when it was so clearly written by the evil grin on her face.

The elder tactician could only shrug as he said, "That poor kid. Little does he understand how dangerous it is to stare at an angel with a grip like yours."

To prove his point, Lucina linked her arm with his while they walked down the castle halls. "It is your fault for making me fall so deeply in love with you. That is why I hold you so strongly."

"So you say." He laughed back faintly. "But it seems like I might have some competition with the way he was looking at you. I'll have to make sure that he does not gain the upper hand."

"You needn't worry about that, love." Lucina reassured. "Regardless how adorable a miniature version of you is, I would never trade in my cupcake."

Robin grimaced at the name as he said, "Yes, well it is better to err on the side of caution. Despite your crushing grip, I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me. Not even myself."

Lucina simply grinned as she said, "You know Lucy gives you the same stare."

"Eh?" He grunted back.

"It's true. She's had a crush on you for some time." Lucina informed while leaning closer to him, "Not that I could blame her for admiring such a dashing and charming man."

It was Robin's turn to laugh as he said, "Come on Lucina. She just thinks I'm fun to play with. That's all."

"It's no joke." Lucina replied strongly. "She holds you in a very high regard. For some time, she was even my greatest threat."

"Was?" Robin said not sure if he should ask.

She hummed happily to herself and said, "Don't worry, dear. That matter is settled."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." He said uneasy.

Lucina gave another evil grin as she said, "Let's just say that I don't have to worry about Lucy stealing you away from me since she has her own version of you to play with."

"You are just being silly now." Robin said not thinking much of it. "Lucy is an entirely different person as far as I'm concerned, and she does not have the bonds that we share."

"I suppose." She confirmed while resting her head on his shoulder. "But I know what I would do if I was in her situation. My only regret is that I did not marry you sooner. I'm even a little envious that she gets to have you before I did."

"Perhaps I should have warned my younger self about the danger he is in." Robin warned gravely as he thought it over more. "If he is not careful he could be mauled by two dangerous and beautiful women in the future."

The princess giggled without a care in the world as she said, "I'm sure he will figure it out on his own. Like you, he is very sharp and perceptive."

"Which is why for three years I've been stumbling along helplessly under your control." He joked back.

"It is I who is captivated by your beguiling charms." Lucina corrected.

The battered tactician shrugged at a near a loss for words. "Either way, I fear we may have already doomed that boy to his fate."

"Cheer up, love." She said sweetly. "It seems like each time there is an issue with the flow of time it changes this world for the better. Because of it we've defeated Grima, I have you to hold whenever I want, we are blessed to have two daughters to enrich our lives, and now Lucy has someone she can play with. I know I've always been one to be cautious of our actions, but under these circumstances I think it will work out."

Robin knew better than to trust his wife when she was smiling so brightly and said, "You just want to kidnap Robby and raise him yourself."

"I will not lie. That is a temptation." She giggled back.

He sighed and said defeated, "Speaking of children. Have you told your father yet? About us?"

"I was going to, but I think it might be better to wait until things settle down." She replied tactfully. "My father already has enough to deal with. Telling him that I'm starting to feel signs of morning sickness might be too much for him."

"True." He nodded as Robby's sudden appearance was not the only major news to beset the castle in recent days. "We are going to have one strange family tree by the time all is said and done. Something tells me this is not what Chrom intended when he first became Exalt."

"Maybe not, but I'm sure he is proud." She said happily while tugging on him. "I know I am. Both as a mother and a wife."

"As am I." He begrudgingly said to her delight. "Hopefully our next child is a boy though. I'm not sure I could handle being surrounded by four energetic and attention seeking girls."

Lucina smirked back and said, "Regardless of the outcome, I'm the one you should be most worried about."

"Trust me. I'm well aware that you want to maul me too." Robin laughed back. "But you are right. Usually things like this work out for the better. I just hope we do not inadvertently doom the world by letting this run its course. It is already chaotic enough with us around. I'm not sure if this planet is big enough to handle two sets of us."

"That is a risk I am prepared to take." She replied affectionately and with great care. "You were my greatest reason to save this world, love. Without you besides me it just wouldn't feel right."

"I feel the same way." Robin remarked proudly as he enjoyed every moment they were together despite what he might say otherwise. "But it's not our little selves I'm worried about. My fear is what apocalypse and devastation might occur once Morgan gets her turn to meet those two. I shudder to even think about it."


	5. It Comes Without Warning

"Hiyah! Har! Phoosh! Hah!" Little Lucina cried as she violently swung her toy sword with all her might against the remnant dark forces that occupied her bedroom. Despite their older counterparts slaying the evil dragon and preventing other potential world-ending calamities that the children had conjured up from their imaginations, there were still a few stragglers left that needed to be taken care of.

"Just a few more!" Young Robin said as he pointed to the corner near her bed which housed a set of undead skeletons wielding corrupted and blood-red axes. "Those are the guys who said not nice things about your dad."

"Hmph. How dare they be mean to him. They better say they are sorry right now!" Lucina yelled heatedly and responded by giving the most frightening and unnerving death stare that a five-year-old could muster. While it was difficult to upset the young princess, she would not tolerate someone slandering her father's good name. If they did not apologize immediately, then they would surely find themselves facing the uncontrolled wrath and fury of the all blue warrior who was fiercely determined to defend her father's prestigious reputation.

"I don't think they will." Robin said lightly as he watched his friend's expression harden. In that moment, he would have preferred to fight two dragons rather than risk clashing with his friend when she was this upset. "The big one even said that your dad was only half as great as Marf."

"Meanies." She replied in disgust as she decided that she must take action to fix this injustice. Since words had failed to sway her opponents, Lucina raised her weapon and loudly proclaimed, "For my daddy!" while charging at her foes with her sword proudly on display as she cut the air in front of her. Meanwhile, Robin could only picture skeleton heads flying over him as their bodies dissembled like a tower of unstable blocks.

Unfortunately, without a sword of his own the future tactician could do little else but watch. He did try to direct Lucina when she was fighting, but it was clear that she had things under control on her own. Robin could repeatedly hear the wind break off her sword as she slashed it around wildly and without restraint at their phantom enemies. Mentally, Robin also made notes about her strengths and weaknesses as he noticed a difference in her fighting style when she was upset.

…

"I think you got them all."

"Good." Lucina replied short of breath as she exerted more energy than she realized. The adrenaline was starting to wear off on her diminutive body and she did not have a good grasp on her limits since she had only recently acquired her toy sword. Nonetheless, she took solace in knowing that her father's reputation had been avenged. Clearly, her father was the coolest, smartest, biggest, most bestest, and legend-dairy hero of them all. To suggest otherwise about either of her parents would be a crime against humanity. "They should have known better."

"I just wish I could have been more help." Robin said a bit disappointed in himself.

"Don't say that." She huffed while still breathing heavily. "You were a big help by telling me all the weak spots where I could smash the bad guys."

Robin frowned and said, "But I want to do more. What good is a sword tasstician without a sword?"

"I'm not sure, but I think you make a great tasstician." Lucina said as she rested her back on the wall to take some of the pressure off her legs. "I would have been too scared to face so many bad guys by myself without knowing their hit points."

"Still, I want to do more." Robin shrugged as he looked back at his friend determined. "I can't be a hero if I don't train with a sword."

"I'm sure we will find one for you soon." She offered cheerfully. "We might even find one on our next mission!"

"… I hope so." He said a little down. He always wanted to do something spectacular with his abilities, but he felt powerless in his current state.

Seeing Robin's expression droop, Lucina felt like she needed to help and said, "Here, do you want to hold my sword for a little bit?"

"What?" He cried out alarmed. "No, I couldn't possibly. That is _your_ sword. Your mommy and daddy gave it to you. It even has your name on it."

She shook her head and said, "I don't think they will be mad if I let you borrow it. At least for just a minute."

"You sure?" He said unconvinced.

"Uh huh." Lucina grunted as she carefully turned her weapon around so Robin could grab the handle. "The bad guys are gone for now which means there is no harm in it. If they do return, I'll need it back."

"Of course." The boy replied as he gingerly and nervously reached out to grasp the weapon. At first, he was completely still as he looked at it with great care. Eventually, he found the courage to poke the air in front of him followed by a quick side slash. "Wow. It's just as incredible as I ever imagined."

"Hold it up higher, and with both hands." She encouraged while raising her own hands in the air.

"Okay." He replied eagerly and did as instructed.

"Now swing it!" She commanded actively.

"Hah!" Robin grunted as the sword cut in the air while he felt a gleeful thrill wash over him. The sensation he felt enveloping his body only accelerated his pace as he yelled, "Phoosh. Ro. DAH!"

"Hehe. There you go. Now you are getting the hang of it!" Lucina exclaimed sharing his excitement.

For the next five minutes Robin played with the toy sword while mimicking some of the movements he saw Lucina use when she was fighting. He also added in a few of his own tricks like standing on one leg or rolling on the ground so he could stab from the floor. "I feel so powerful with this sword."

"That's cause it was made by my parents." Lucina said proudly. "They put some of their strength into it."

Robin inspected the wooden sword again and said, "I can feel it. This is definitely a sword made by legends."

"I just hope I am strong enough to use it properly someday." The princess said knowing that she had high expectations to live up to.

"No doubt." Robin said certain of it. "You are already really good at using it."

"Thanks." She beamed back. "But I still gots a lot to learn before I can use it right. I am nowhere near the level of my big sis. She trained for years to reach her skill with it."

Hearing Lucina bring up her older sister reminded Robin about how graceful and poised she was. The time traveling princess was truly a sight to behold for the five-year-old boy as she radiated a calm and peaceful presence that he would not soon forget. "Your big sis is super cool and strong. She didn't even blink when she faced off against the dragon."

"I know." The young princess added as she viewed her older sister almost as highly as her parents. "One day I want to grow up to be just like her! That's why I have to train super hard to catch up."

"Yeah, that must be tough." He acknowledged knowing that was a tall order. "I'll help you any way I can, though."

"Thanks." Lucina responded with a growing grin. "Seeing my big sis fight is really special. There is nothing that can stop her. At least, not when she is around your big bro. He comes up with all the plans to defeat the evildoers they face. This gives her more time to focus on stomping the bad guys with her cunning sword skills."

"Amazing." The boy said with a growing pride swelling in his stomach. "If my big bro is able to help your big sis, then he must be a double hero. _No!_ A triple hero."

"He's a double-triple hero!" Lucina exclaimed as she mimicked the extravagant motions that she once saw Owain make. "Just like my big sis."

"Double-triple?!" Robin cried out in shock. "That's like … six times greater than a normal hero!"

"Nuh-uh." She shook her head and said, "It's more like seven. Perhaps more."

The boy couldn't even begin to comprehend someone able to wield such power and said, "Over seven? Is that even possible?"

"It is. I've seen them train before. They have to be careful because they can cut mountains in half with just one swing." Little Lucina cried heroically while chopping the air with her right hand. "Plus, their swords whoosh in the air so fast I can hardly see them. It's like they can slow time and command it to obey them."

"I'll have to see them in action." Robin added as he could scarce imagine the precision and strength needed to bend time to their will.

"Definitely!" She cried excitedly as she too wanted to watch them face off again, "But what they are really good at is playing games. No one in the whole wide world can beat them at having fun. Not even my mommy and daddy!"

"But." Robin paused in confusion. "You said your parents are the greatest heroes of all times."

"They are!" Lucina explained proudly. "It's just that my big sis and your big bro are the greatest playmates of all times! They are always having fun or laughing when I see them."

Robin thought it over and said, "They were smiling a lot. Not even the dragon phased them."

"Mhm." Lucina looked to her friend and said cheerfully, "Being heroes makes them super busy which limits the time they can stay, but I always look forward to them visiting because they are so much fun. They know all of the best games to play and we get to stop bad guys at the same time!"

"That does sound like a lot of fun." Robin replied amazed.

Lucina nodded and said warmly, "My mommy and daddy can be a lot of fun to play with too, but they are also busy stomping bad guys. It's nice having a family of heroes, but sometimes it gets pretty lonely being stuck here by myself when they are off on adventures. 'Specially since mean old Fred-ick won't let me leave my room when all the fun things happen."

"… Yeah. I can imagine that would be unfun." Robin said hesitantly not wanting to admit that he had also been very lonely lately.

Lucina then energetically said, "That is why I asked Naga for a playmate of my very own for my birthday! I wanted someone like my big sis has because they get to do so much cool stuff together. Plus, I can't be a hero like Marf unless I have friends to help me. So I knew from the moment that my mommy introduced you that we would be great playmates!"

"Wait." Robin stopped in disbelief. "You really think Naga might have sent me?"

"I know it!" The young princess cried readily. "You are smart, and funny, and brave which are the marks of a future hero. Not to mention the last two days are probably the most fun I've ever had in my life!"

"Oh, uh. I, I'm glad." Robin said blushing deeply and with his head down. "… They are the best days of my life too."

"See?" Lucina asked with a wide grin. "That proves that Naga sent you. We wouldn't be having so much fun otherwise."

"Wow, I had no idea." He said with his mind blown and his mouth wide open. "Naga never told me about this."

The princess looked back at her friend while confident in her theory and said, "Well the fact that my big sis likes you is even more proof that we are supposed to play together all the time."

"I suppose. I would never want to question your big sis." He reasoned believing the matter to be settled even if he did not fully understand why he was the one that was picked. "So, um, what are some of the things that your big sis and my big bro do as playmates?" Robin questioned trying to see if he could use that information to help fulfill his own role as a certified playmate.

"They do lots of things. I've seen them train for hours, run around the castle with pillows, play thinking games, and they make a lot of funny faces at each other." Lucina informed knowing that the last one was a common occurrence.

"You mean like this?" Robin asked as he squinted his eyes while he stuck out his tongue. He then used his hands to pull on his cheeks so they stretched outwards in different directions.

"Hehehe. Yeah, exactly like that." Lucina giggled as she said, "Plus they call each other code names too. Like, your big bro must really enjoy honey and deer because my big sis always calls him those."

"I like honey, too." Robin nodded as he let his face resettle to its normal expression. "But the bees normally don't like me when I try to get it."

"Hmm." She placed a hand on her chin and said, "It would be cons-fusing if you both had the same code name."

"Yeah, you are right." He agreed knowing that it would be difficult to tell the difference. "I'm not sure what a good code name would be, though."

"Me neither." Lucina said in deep thought. "I'll have to ask my cousin Owain later. He's good with that stuff."

"Okay." He said deciding to settle that matter later. "What else do they do?"

"That's easy. They love to-"

The young blunette was cut off by a sudden thump that vibrated throughout the room and rocked some of the figurines on the floor. This was followed by another and much louder crash at the door as it sounded like many objects toppled to the floor.

"Quick, we are under attack!" Robin warned as he instinctively took a battle stance with his tiny legs. "They must be strong to break Fred-ick's barrier."

Lucina reclaimed her weapon from her friend said and with a determined cry, "Well they made a mistake coming here! Now that I have a playmate to help, no one can stop me!"

…

* * *

"Hiya!" A tall and energetic figure greeted them as the door slammed open and a blue haired women donned in a tactician's cloak entered the room.

"Stay back!" Robin called out unaware of their attacker. "Don't come closer or we will be forced to fight you."

"Even if I just wanted to play?" She asked teasingly.

"Well…" He paused as he thought it over carefully. "I guess that depends."

Meanwhile, Lucina lowered her sword and said, "It is okay. It is just Morgan. She is a friend."

"Indeed!" The boisterous woman responded with a jubilant glee as she masked her mouth with her hand, "I am the mighty Morgan. A magical marvel that mischievously manipulates and misguides to make my mission materialize. Magnificent and majestic, my movements must match my masterful and methodical mother. Moreover, meet the meticulous methods of the mastermind whom mentored me."

Seeing that the boy was confused from all the big words he never heard before, Lucina clarified by saying, "Morgan is a hero-in-training like us."

"Oh." Robin nodded and said, "I guess that explains why she is so short."

"Short?!" Morgan put a hand on her hip and said offended, "I'm easily five times your size."

"Most giants are seven times my size." Robin said unimpressed.

"Yes, well. I'm just a late bloomer is all." Morgan grumbled as she had waited impatiently for two years for those last few inches of her height to pop up.

Lucina then said optimistically to her older friend. "Cheer up Morgan. We will all grow taller somesday soon. I know it."

While the message was intended to be uplifting, it only made the situation worse for Morgan with the realization that the five-year-old version of her mother was trying console her. "Yes, well. At least I'm still irresistibly adorable at my current size. I can still use that to my advantage."

"I don't see how that can be used in a fight." Robin said blankly.

"Never underestimate the power of cuteness!" Morgan warned to her skeptical foe. "You have yet to see its full potential."

"It's true." Lucina nodded back. "Morgan gets out of all sorts of trouble with it. 'Specially with Uncle Robin."

The boy eyes widened in surprise as he said, "Wait a second. You know my big bro?"

"Of course!" Morgan said in an over-the-top tone, "I see him every day. He is my glorious father after all."

Lucina then chimed in and said, "That's right. I forgot to mention. Morgan's mommy and daddy are our older siblings."

"But that means…" Robin trailed off trying to think through the problem before suddenly turning to his friend and yelling excitedly, "Lucina you were right! I do have more family! Hoorah!"

Morgan couldn't help but giggle at his reaction and said, "Yep! It's nice to meet you cousin."

"Nice to meet you too!" He greeted back with a wide smile.

"Wait a moment." Lucina closed her eyes as she strained her brain to work out the math. "Wouldn't Morgan be your _neesh_?"

"Eh?" Morgan said confused.

"Robin is the brother to your daddy." The princess reasoned as she said, "So that makes him an uncle, and it makes you a _neesh_."

"Wow, I've never been an uncle before." Robin said in wonder. "But doesn't that make you an aunt, too?"

Lucina paused as she opened her mouth in surprise, "Wow. You are right. I never realized that I was an aunt until just now."

"Well, um. I guess technically speaking that's true." Morgan said suddenly having an identity crisis. Being called a niece only made her sound even younger than her height made her appear. "But I'm way older than you two so you have to listen and do whatever I say."

"I'm not sure that is how it works." The boy said unsure.

"Of course it is!" Morgan tried to deflect the conversation to something else and said, "So now that we are family, you have tell me more about yourself. For instance, do you know how to use magic?"

"I can wiggle my ears without touching them." He said not sure if that counted.

"No way." Lucina doubted while telling her friend, "That's not possible!"

"It's true." He insisted back. "I can even do it with one eye closed."

Unconvinced, the bluenette slashed her hand in the air and said, "Prove it!"

"Okay." The boy turned away from the princess to show his ear. He then took a deep breath and closed his right eye to help concentrate as the tactician slowly made his ear lobe bend towards him. Carefully looking on, Lucina made sure there were no tricks involved and that his hands stayed away from his face. Meanwhile, after some effort Robin managed to get his ear in full motion as it went in and out like a butterfly wing.

"Amazing!" Lucina marveled with a gaping mouth. "How did you do that?"

"I thought about it real hard." Robin replied while tapping his head with his index finger. "And then it just sorta happens."

Immediately, the young princess tried to copy her friend as she took a deep breath until her cheeks were puffed out as far as they could go. She then closed one eye and stomped her foot on the ground with the full force that a five-year-old could muster. With an intense focus, Lucina commanded her body to move her ear, but even this was not enough. After her first attempt, she tried shaking her head to help get the process started. Next, she raised her cheek bone on her open eye which caused her nose to wrinkle up and almost made her sneeze. Unfortunately, while she was able to control her other facial features, she could not manage to get her ear lobe to twitch, much less move.

"You almost got it." Robin tried to say encouragingly.

"Hmmph." Lucina was forced to exhale as her lungs could not hold it in any longer. Out of breath and gasping for air, she said defeated, "It's no use. I can't do it."

"Sure you can. It just takes some practice." He said knowing it took him a while to master.

"Where did you learn that trick?" Morgan asked unaware if her father could even do that.

"It could get really boring in the forest with no one to talk to." He said hesitantly before quickly trying to smile back. "So I would try to think of new things to do."

Morgan wondered what other strange habits he picked up and said, "Well that is a neat trick that you learned. It is definitely a form of magic."

"Thanks, but I haven't found much of a use for it, yet." He replied not sure of its tactical purpose. "At least, not in a battle."

"Oh!" Lucina interrupted as that reminded her of their earlier conversation, "Morgan, could you help us find a sword for Robin? He needs one so we can train together and smash evildoers."

"I don't know." Morgan pretended to be aloof about the prospect as she said, "That sounds like a perilous and death-defying journey that could take us to the darkest corners of the realm."

Lucina pleaded with her eyes and said, "Pretty please? I know we will find one faster if you come with us. It also sounds like fun!"

"Yes, please come with us." Robin begged with his hands clasped together. "We are family, so we have to stick together, right?"

"Wellllll, okay." Morgan relented and said upbeat, "But only because you two are so cute. Not as cute as me, of course, but you come close.

" **Yay!** " Lucina cheered as she said excitedly. "It's time to go on another adventure!"


	6. Or An Explanation

**AN: Hey everyone, my apologies in advance for over a year delay on this chapter. After graduating from college I got a job shortly afterwards and free time became scarce as one would expect. I also lost some of my motivation to write during that time, but Three Houses brought it back. Going forward, this story will be sporadically updated in between writing Gray Truth as these two little rascals are a great reprieve from the heavy themes of Three Houses.**

* * *

"Welcome to my workshop!" Morgan creatively flared her hands as she welcomed her two young guests to her room. Next to her bed resided all manners of contraptions and specially designed mechanical parts for the grand schemes she envisioned. Ropes, pulley systems, a makeshift mannequin dressed in her cloak, and countless books scattered around the room made up a few of the notable items she housed in her messy bedroom.

"Whoa." The pint-sized Robin marveled as he had never seen anything like it before. He could not even begin to imagine what these strange devices were or how they worked. "What is this place for?"

"This is where I create all of my dastardly schemes and tricks to be the best tactician the world has ever known!" Morgan cried extravagantly while striving to far surpass her father one day.

"Tricks?" He said confused. "Why would a hero-in-training need those?"

"It's simple, any tactician needs a bag of ruses to catch their enemies by surprise." The mischievous strategist said while momentarily covering her face with her cloak. "Plus, the sole purpose of my existence is to tease Chrom as much as humanely possible. The look on his face is priceless when he gets caught in one of my snares. Hehehe, his face puffs up and his eye twitches just like when I call him grandpa. It is great."

Hearing that, Little Lucina crossed her arms and puffed up her cheeks, "I don't like that. No one should be tricking my daddy. He is the bestest of them all!"

"Yeah." The boy agreed in turn. "He was kind enough to let me stay here at the castle and he is a true hero. It seems wrong to do anything mean to him."

"I wouldn't say it is mean. More like, I am being creative in my approach to our relationship." Morgan offered to ease the concerns of the two. "Consider it my way of spending quality time with my gentle, caring, and easy to prank grandfather."

"It still seems wrong." Robin countered not buying her sugar coated words. "You should stop doing that if you want to be a hero someday."

Pointedly, Lucina furrowed her brow and said strongly, "I agree! It won't due to treat my daddy poorly. Heroes have to be nice to others! 'Specially to my daddy!"

Morgan blinked back in surprise as the two children sternly lectured her like they were her parents. Granted, they were the five and six-year-old versions of her parents, but that was entirely beside the point. The surrealness was further highlighted by their lack of appreciation at her noble goal to scare the living daylights out of Chrom whenever possible. "That is not it. I … am protecting him! Yeah, that is it. Our nefarious enemies would try to trick my grandpa trough cynical and vicious means. It is my job to help prepare him on what to expect so he can defend himself."

"… Oh, I guess that makes sense." Robin figured it was okay as long as her intentions were to help protect him. Admittedly, he still didn't like the idea, but he went along with it as she was the daughter of two legendary heroes. "Even a hero as great as Lucina's father needs to train to protect himself."

Meanwhile, Morgan pretended to act hurt and said, "Precisely. And to think I was going to make a gallant sword for you while you were busy questioning my pure and completely innocent motives. I am beginning to have second thoughts now."

Alarmed, Lucina cried out in a panic, "No, please ree-consider! It is not Robin's fault. We didn't know it was for my daddy's safety. All of us want to see him happy. That is all."

"Yeah!" Robin nodded fiercely and pleaded with regret. "I am really sorry, Ms. Morgan. I didn't know. Please forgive me."

With a wide a beaming grin, Morgan looked down sweetly at the two worried children and said brightly, "Bah, no need to apologize. I could never be mad at the two of you, and I was just kidding about not making a sword for Robin. I'll make him the finest blade that the world has ever known!"

Relieved, the two exhaled deeply and said together, "Thank you!"

"Hehehe." The elder tactician giggled seeing the energetic expressions return to the pair. "Don't mention it. In just a moment I'll make something truly spectacular for our new friend. After all, I know how to make a legendary sword like it was the back of my hand."

Curious, the two kids raised their arms and titled their hands to see if they could find out what Morgan meant by her comment. Lucina even squinted her eyes and brought her hand directly to her face to see if she could find anything interesting on her skin while Robin froze in bewilderment.

"Er, I didn't mean that literally." Morgan explained to her two confused counterparts. "The back of your hand is an expression that means you know something really well."

"Oh." Lucina said blankly not giving it anymore thought. Her big sister also had trouble with expressions so she didn't let it concern her. Luckily, both of them had Uncle Robin to explain things to them that they didn't understand whenever they needed help. "Expressions are like tricks on words. I guess that is why you know them so well."

"I suppose that is one way of looking at it."

Lost between the two of them was Robin's transfixed stare at the back of his hand. His gaze had not left that spot in the time that passed as the diminutive tactician struggled to understand what he was seeing. Rather, it was a lack of what was supposed to be there that left him speechless and his mouth hanging wide open.

"You don't have to look at your hand anymore. Morgan was just trying to confuse words so they would keep their guard up." She explained before suddenly noticing her friend's growing distress.

"Where did it go?" He whispered in disbelief.

"Where did what go?" Lucina asked walking closer to him to see what appeared to be an ordinary hand free of any blemish or scar. At their age, there was little difference between the hands of the fledging princess and her aspiring playmate.

"The mark that mommy hated. It is gone." He said still not understanding what he was looking at. "Morgan, did you make it disappear?"

"No. At least, I don't think I did." The elder tactician stammered suddenly realizing what he meant.

"What mark?" Lucina asked as she leaned forward to get a better view. She never noticed anything strange about his hands before. She also believed his hands looked the same as when they first met.

"There was … a mark on my hand." Robin said dazed and out of sorts. "Whenever mommy saw it she would look at me in disgust. That is why I tried to wash it away in the lake so she wouldn't hate me anymore, but no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn't come off. Even when my hand got really really red it was still there."

The young princess shook her head and said, "I never saw it."

"Really?" He said twice as surprised. "I must not have noticed it disappear. I was having so much fun with you."

"I've been having loads of fun too!" She exclaimed happily to raise his spirits. "Maybe all that fun wore the mark right off."

"I guess so." He said having no better explanation to go off of. "Morgan, are you sure this is not another one of your tricks?"

The eldest scratched her head and said, "Sorry that wasn't me. I know what you are talking about, though. My dad had that mark on his hand before."

"Big bro also had the mark?!" Robin's asked wide-eyed and flabbergasted.

Morgan confirmed and said, "He did, but it disappeared after my parents defeated Grima two years ago. For my dad, he said it was like the curse on his body had been lifted from him."

"Two years? So why did it just disappear for me now?" He questioned while returning his gaze to his hand. "I don't remember fighting a Grim-Ah recently. Whatever that is."

Morgan shook her head and said, "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea what happened to you either."

"I see." He frowned while returning his focus to his hands while individually moving each finger to see if he still had control over them. He had not ruled out the possibility that someone had stolen his hands and replaced them with fakes while he was busy having fun.

"If it makes you feel better, my big sis and I have marks on our eyes." Lucina added trying to be helpful. "Mommy said it is a birthmark."

"No, this is different. Your eye is really pretty to look at." The six-year-old frowned wishing he had a pleasant mark like hers. He considered the purple spot he once had to be an eyesore that he was glad to be rid of. However, he noted early on that Lucina and her older sister had a birthmark that shined brightly when they were happy or excited. It was hard for him to look away when he saw it glimmer, and made him a tad envious that he was not as lucky to have one like theirs.

"Aw. Thank you!" She beamed back proudly. "I think your eyes are pretty, too."

"Huh?" He reeled back still not used to being complimented. "Oh, um, uh. Thank you."

"Your welcome." The young princess said glad she could return the favor. "I can always tell when you are thinking hard because you smoosh your face together and your eyes stay stuck in place. When that happens I know you are about to have another one of your great ideas!"

"I do that?"

"Uh huh. You are doing it right now, actually." She pointed out seeing his face smoosh together exactly like she described. "Quick, tell me what you are thinking!"

Robin paused to collect his thoughts and said, "I think something happened to me two years ago that I don't remember. Something important cause it allowed me to be here at the castle. I just wish I could remember what it was because I never want to leave. I want to play, and train, and stay here with you guys forever. Even after all of us become heroes."

"See!" Lucina cried excitedly while jumping in the air. "That is another one of your great ideas! I agree. Let's do that!"

"… Can we do that?" He whispered afraid to hear the answer.

Morgan interjected and said, "Of course! You will always be welcomed here, Robin. It is our pleasure to have you. I'd say Lucina and I are not the only ones that greatly enjoy your company. Plus, I know my grandpa could never pass up the opportunity to help a fellow hero achieve his wish. He has a soft spot for aspiring tacticians found under strange circumstance."

"You think so? Wow." He gasped as he stood still in place. The two smiling faces in front of him were difficult to process as he feared he was selfishly living a dream he had no right to take part of. Multiple times this week he had tried to repress his hopes only for Lucina or her family to welcome him in. It was a dream come true to the boy, which is why he didn't understand why water was forming around his eyes. That only happened to him when he was deeply sad.

Meanwhile, seeing that the boy was at his emotional limit, Morgan tactfully changed the subject and said, "So come now. The three of us have a grand sword to make."

"What?" Lucina said shocked. "You mean we get to help?!"

"Naturally." She claimed motioning for them to follow her to her work bench. As expected, the two eager children came running as fast as their little legs could carry them. Once there, Morgan rearranged her tools and cleared her table of one of the devices she was working on to prank her grandfather. Afterwards, she picked up Robin and set him down on the table as it was too high up for him to reach by himself or by standing on a box. Morgan then did the same for young princess as the two children sat on opposite ends of the table with boundless anticipation and glee.

"Lucina, can you pass me the two planks of wood next to you?" Morgan asked while reaching for some nails underneath her work bench.

"Sure thing!" She exclaimed while hurriedly collecting the pieces in her hands and throwing them to the center of the table.

"We are going to use wood?" Robin asked finding that odd. "I thought swords were made of steel."

"Hey, are you questioning my methods again?" Morgan said sharply to the boy.

Startled, he quickly covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head profusely. He did not dare say anything else that risked dissuading her from making the sword after nearly missing out on the opportunity. The only thing that came out of his muzzled voice was a weak, "Uh-uh."

"Good. Must have been my imagination." She mentioned smugly and with a satisfied grin. "In that case, can you pass me the hammer?"

With one hand still holding his mouth shut, Robin picked up the tool next to him and leaned forward so Morgan could grab it. In turn, she thanked him and set to work on crafting his sword. The two children watched intensely as the elder tactician lined up the boards so they were perpendicular before hammering three nails into the center of the cross to join the two pieces together. She then preset the fourth nail and said, "Robin, Lucina, would you like to try to hammer in the last one?"

"Okay!" The princess said quickly while her counterpart was more hesitant. Eventually the two crawled closer together while Morgan flipped the hammer around so they could grab it. Clumsily, four tiny hands held on to the heavy tool while trying to balance it in the air. Each of them not sure what to do now that they had it in the their grip.

"Now, when I say go, the two of you will swing it as hard as you can muster!"

Robin looked back nervously and asked, "How do we-"

"Go!"

In one movement, the hammer came crashing down and bounced of the side of the nail's head. The uneven strike did little to push the nail deeper into the wood as the kids looked on disappointed in their efforts. As a result, Morgan encouraged them to try a second time as she helped them raise the hammer back in the air so they could swing it again. The outcome of the second attempt was much the same, but after a few more tries Robin and Lucina finally hit the nail smack on the head.

"We did it!" The young girl shouted victoriously.

"Yeah, it actually moved." He said amazed.

Their success only reignited their motivation as the two slowly and steadily dug the nail further into the grain with each successive strike. Occasionally they would miss, but that only hardened their resolve now that they knew they could overcome the challenge. A couple of minutes later all that remained was a small stub of the nail that stuck out from the wooden surface. Fortunately, Morgan helped them pound the last bit into place to complete the first phase of Robin's sword. With that done, the two children admired how the two planks of wood were now firmly joined together like they had always been one piece.

Next, Morgan used a hand saw to make two diagonal cuts at the edge of the cross to give the sword its pointed edge. Due the sharpness of the saw, Morgan believed it would be better if she handled that task alone while the children watched. Neither of them seemed keen on using it anyways as the weapon began to take its shape before their eyes.

"We are getting there." Morgan said while handing both kids a coarse and thin strip of paper.

"What's this?" Lucina asked feeling a rough texture on one side and a smooth surface on the other.

"This is called sandpaper. It is an abrasive that is used to sharpen edges of the sword like a whetstone." Morgan explained without a hint of deception in her voice. It was best the two children didn't know that they were rounding the ends of the toy sword so they would not get hurt when playing with it. Lucina's sword was also made in a similar fashion despite her belief that it was forged out of hardened steel.

"It doesn't feel wet to me." Robin said puzzled.

"I don't think it looks like a stone either." Lucina added shifting the paper in her hand.

Quietly, Morgan ignored their antics and demonstrated how to use the object in question. "Just trust me. You want to press the rough side into the wood and make nice even circles. See?"

The bluenette and white-haired strategist watched with interest as they made the same motion with their hands in the air. Once comfortable, they placed the sandpaper on the sword and went back and forth on the grain almost like they were petting a dog. Both of them meticulously scratched the surface in a deliberate and concentrated fashion while Morgan sanded the perimeter to remove any potential splinters or sharp edges. She also had time to attach a leather strap to the handle while her companions carefully sanded the same spot over and over.

"I can't wait to try this sword out." Robin said already anticipating the finished product. "I'll be able to train and help you fight off bad guys instead of just showing their weak points."

"That will be great!" Lucina said also teeming with excitement. "No one will be able to stop us when we work together. Not even Fred-ick!"

Smirking, Morgan knew the blue knight would have his hands full soon. It was safe to assume the two would make it their lifelong mission to see him defeated if it meant they could avoid nap time or explore the castle at night without fear of being caught. "Before you try the sword out there is still one more thing left to do."

"What is that?" Robin asked thinking it already looked like a perfect sword for him to use.

Morgan elaborately raised her shoulders and wiggled her fingers like she was conjuring a spell. Whimsically, she lowered the tone of her voice and said, "Abra dabra codava. Make this sword a bonanza!"

A hush fell over the children as they watched intently at Morgan's incantation. Both of them swore that a strong wind rushed into the room and descended into the sword to imbue it with great arcane power. Little did they know it was another one of the mischievous tricks by the crafty tactician as she secretly pumped a wind bellows to create the effect. "Ta da! I have used my almighty magical talents to transform the wood into a special form of steel. It will no longer break when used against Lucina's sword."

"Cool!" The princess shouted elated at the idea of sparing with her playmate just like her big sis did. "Now we can practice our swords skills all the time. Yay! Thank you Morgan!"

"Yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Robin said clamping his hands together while bowing his head. "I will use this sword for good and to help train with Lucina so we both can get stronger. I promise!"

"I'm sure you will. Just remember who helped you along the way when you two grow up to become heroes."

"We won't forget!" Lucina nodded vigorously and raised her arm in the air. "I know you will make a super duper good hero too, Morgan!"

"A double duper hero!" Robin added strongly.

"Hehehe, thanks kiddos." She giggled back as it was hard not to smile in front of the two boisterous youths. In a way, they were not that different from her parents who also let their childish side show when they were together. At least with the younger versions it was cuter and easier to tolerate compared to her parents constantly fawning over one another.

"Come on! Let's try out your new sword!"

"Right behind you!"

With that the two kids said their goodbyes and darted out of Morgan's room while pointing their swords forward as they ran. The delighted shouts could be heard all throughout the castle as they made their way to the training grounds without delay.

…

* * *

"Haugh!"

"Hiya!

"Pwoosh!"

"Pah!

The two eager children took turns swiping their swords in the air while adding in their own sound effects. Both imagined themselves in the heat of a ferocious battle as they tightly held on to their cherished and unyielding swords.

"I think that is a good warm up. Let's try it for real this time."

Robin paused and said, "Okay. You swing and I'll block."

"No. You have to attack too or else I can't practice defending." She explained while taking a battle stance.

Gulping, he was suddenly a little hesitant about attacking his friend. He didn't want to do anything that could risk hurting her. Still, he also knew they couldn't get stronger unless they trained together. "Alright then. I'll attack too."

"Perfect." The bluenette said while taking that as her cue to lung forward and start their sparring match.

Instinctively, Robin swiped his new sword to defend and the two wooden blades clacked as they made contact. Both of their eyes widened in excitement as their blades withstood the blow and bounced back. This led to a renewed attack as the two dueled for the first time under the bright and shining sun. Joy would be an ill-suited word to describe the look on their faces as they engaged in a battle that would be the first on their journey to becoming heroes like the Shepherds that came before them.

"Eng." Robin winced as his opponent's last strike got him in the arm. It stung a little but he ignored the pain and kept up his attack. "It's time to tip the snails!"

"Snails?" Lucina asked with a strange look.

"I heard my big bro say that one when we were fighting the dragon in your room."

"Oh, that is a good one! Let me do one of my big sis." She said channeling all of her energy into mimicking the movements of her older sister. "I challenge my fate!"

Believing that was another good war cry, Robin tried to think of what else his big brother had said while he stabbed his blade frontward. "Here's how it's done!"

"You will not stop me!" Lucina countered with a strong uppercut.

"You're finished!" He claimed with a side slash.

"No. I say when it ends!" She cried ferociously while crashing her blade forward.

To her surprise, he saw the move coming like it was in slow motion and effortlessly dodged the attack while stepping forward to connect his sword with her hip. As a result, the princess came crashing down on her bottom as the momentum sent her spiraling backwards.

"Ow. That hurt."

"Lucina! Are you okay?" He sprinted forward in terror as he saw her fall and rub her side uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"That was amazing, Robin! Can you show me that again?!" The princess interrupted as she quickly felt her pain subside as a wondrous thrill overtook her.

"Whuh?" He stammered as he felt rotten and ashamed of himself. "I hurt you. You should be mad at me."

"No." She said blankly and steadily picked herself up from the ground. "You softened the blow. If a bad guy did that move on me I would have been in big trouble."

"I might as well be a bad guy by breaking my promise to protect you." He said lashing out at himself.

"That's not true." She frowned while placing a hand on his shoulder. "You saved me just now!"

"I … did what?"

"Like I said. I need someone to train with me cause I am not strong enough yet. A bad guy could have really hurt me if they used that move against me. Luckily, I have you to show me my weakness. That is why I want you to do that attack again so I can try to block it!"

The boy shook his head heavily confused but he was at least grateful she wasn't upset with him. He would have never forgave himself if that happened. "But what if I hurt you again?"

"Then we keep trying until I get it right." She said determined to be a renowned swordswoman.

"And you won't get mad at me if you fall again?" He questioned unsure.

Lucina gave a worried look back and asked, "Robin, how come you are always afraid I'm going to be mad at you?"

"Cause you were the first person who was ever nice to me and wanted to play." Robin said meekly and with his head down. "I don't want to disappoint you after you put your faith in me to be your friend."

"Hmph." Her eyes hardened as she decided that she had to take drastic measures to convince him his fear was dumb. Seeing as reassuring words had not worked in the past, she wrapped her arms around him in a kind embrace.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked frozen in place.

"Whenever Uncle Robin is down on himself my big sis gives him a giant hug to make him feel better." The young princess mentioned trying to do the same for him. "As my friend I can't let you be down on yourself either."

"I-I see." He whispered at a loss for words.

Lucina closed her eyes and said, "I don't know why no one was nice to you before, but that won't happen again. I've had so much fun with you that I never want to sun to take a nap so we can keep playing. You are my bestest friend and the playmate I've always wanted."

"You mean that?"

"Uh huh." She nodded while stepping away from him to show she was serious. "I pinky promise. Now, will you do that that move again for me? I really want to try to block it."

"Y-yeah." Robin paused while he used his arm to wipe away the water forming in his eyes. "I'll do it a bajillion times if needed."


End file.
